


Fraxus Week 2019

by Eryis



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Brotp, Carnival, Celebreation, Comfort, Competative Idiots, Date Night, Day 2, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Drunk Laxus, Engagment, First Meetings, Flashback, Found Family, Fraxus Week, Fraxus Week 2019, Hot Chocolate, Hot Springs, Laxus is soft, M/M, Men being fluffy, Mentions of alcohol, Minor OC - Freeform, Overpowered Freed Justine, Overpowered Laxus Dreyar, Overworking Freed, Shipping Event, Snippets of a year, Snowball Fight, Vacation, Worried Laxus, Younger Freed, Younger Laxus, day 1:, day 3:, day 4:, fraxus, heart to heart, midnight snack, one shots, slight angst, taking a break, unison raid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-05-20 21:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19385056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryis/pseuds/Eryis
Summary: My admissions for Fraxus Week 2018. I hope you all enjoy them and that they cater to your Fraxus needs, and hopefully I should have something done for every prompt.This years prompts are:Day 1 - Freed The Dark and the Thunder GodDay 2 - Night In/Night OutDay 3 - MischiefDay 4 - Spa/Vacation/Hot SpringsDay 5 - Hope/Despair/Complicated/EasyDay 6 - Sweet TreatsDay 7 - Seasons





	1. The Beasts Of Fairy Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The idea of performing a Unison Raid had previously felt unattainable for Freed and Laxus. But after hearing stories of their guildmates managing to perform the spell, the two powerful men make it their goal to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> As always, I’m aiming to make something for each of the prompts. I hope you all enjoy and it gives you the fraxus content we all need. The prompt for this day was 'Freed The Dark and the Thunder God.'
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

**Day 1: Freed The Dark and the Thunder God**

**~~~**

"You ready?"

At Laxus' question, Freed gave a curt nod. The two men were stood in the large expanse of land that made up Fairy Tail's training grounds. It was the middle of the afternoon, meaning most of their other guildmates had retired for the day and were enjoying the booze and food that was served in the nearby guildhall. Being alone suited their needs, as what they were planning to do could easily go incredibly wrong.

After taking a moment to collect the energy coursing through his veins, Freed's eye began to glow and pulsate with a haze of darkness and power. He expelled it immediately, feeling the burning sensation that ran through him leave as the spells he cast came to fruition.

Throughout the training ground, multiple glyphs began to appear in runic lettering. They glowed and rotated in place, floating high above the ground. Freed felt a small taxing sensation coming from his eye, a silent reminder that he needed to maintain his power to keep the glyphs in place, but he made an effort to ignore it so that he could start the next part of the spell. Following his small hand gestures, the glyphs began to slowly move across the sky, converging into a singular circle in the centre of the paved area.

His magic now in place, Freed looked to the side to see his husband waiting. Lighting danced across his exposed forearms and a small smirk was visible on his face, and Freed couldn't help but match the expression. It was rare for him to see his husband in such an exhilarated state; as it normally only happened during a fight where Freed's priority was obviously elsewhere.

"Anytime you're ready," Freed said, allowing Laxus to step forward. "You still know what you're doing, right?"

"Hell yeah," Laxus grinned, cracking his knuckles.

The idea had been Laxus', initially. Unison Raids were supposedly a rare occurrence that could only happen if the two mages were both powerful and had a deep, pure connection. The near impossibility of the occurrence meant that neither Freed nor Laxus had considered it something they should try. But after hearing that their guildmates had managed to do it on multiple occasions, Laxus had proposed that they attempt to create their own version of the spell. This had happened over a week ago, and this was the first time they were actually trying to do something rather than just talking about how their own raid would work.

Taking another step forward, Laxus raised both of his hands. He clapped them together, the lightning still dancing across him as his coat bellowed in the wind created by his energy. The dragon-slayer magic rushed forward, bursting out from between his hands in a haphazard but powerful beam of pure magic energy.

Watching the lightning barrel towards the floating glyphs, both men held their breaths.

Due to their dominant magics not being overly compatible, they had been forced to be creative about how they should combine their powers. Freed had managed to write an enchantment that would allow his darkness magic to combine with Laxus' lightning, and had infused this enchantment on the floating glyphs. This was untested until now.

As Laxus' lightning slammed into the closest glyph, both men watched as the letter glowed. A smaller stream of lightning flowed from this glyph, arching towards the two adjacent enchantments, the effect of Freed's dark magic obvious with the pulsating black aura that clearly surrounded the lightning. Freed wore a small grin as he watched how his magic had fused with his husband's, glad that both their magic was compatible as well as his work being proven correct.

A small chain reaction occurred. Once the next glyph was hit by the tainted lightning, it produced a new stream of magic. This occurred until all the glyphs had been hit and a full circle of lightning had occurred; the lightning now being jet black in colour.

Stepping beside his husband, who was still channelling magic into the spell to make the stream of tainted lightning continue, Freed allowed his eye to glow with power again. Simultaneously, the glyphs glowed with a bright purple light and they begun to spin at a significantly faster speed than before. So far, everything was going as intended.

"You can stop now," Freed glanced towards Laxus, who lowered his hands and stopped casting his own spell.

"Everything going well?" The blonde asked, looking up at the magical occurrence that he and Freed's magic had created. He smirked a little, already sensing the high levels of power that their combined magic resulted in.

"I think so," Freed nodded, also looking up.

Each glyph suddenly erupted in power, a beam of erratic lightning, rivalling the ferocity of Laxus' own magic, shooting inwards and merging in the centre of the magical circle. The excess wind created by the merging of all beams of tainted lighting started to grow, ruffling both men's clothes as well as the nearby trees and grass. Freed narrowed his eyes, focusing on maintaining the spells he created.

In the centre of the floating glyphs, a ball of darkness and lightning began to grow larger and larger. Freed's smirk widened, the spell working as intended and allowing him to step back again, the rest of the spell meant to happen by itself.

Both men watched as the pulsating sphere of energy grew larger and larger, eventually filling the space between the glyphs. As the spell continued to grow, it engulfed the glyphs in the dark lightning that their combined magics had made. With every growing inch of magic, the power of their spell became more apparent as the wind grew more ferocious and bellowing, so much so that the training dummies were moving and both men were forced to steady themselves as to not be affected by how strong it was.

With gritted teeth, Freed narrowed his eyes and looked up. The glyphs were soon to be completely developed and, if all went as planned, this would start the offensive part of the spell. The glyphs were keeping the lightning contained so, when destroyed, all the magic should be released.

"It's nearly ready," Freed warned, and Laxus stood behind him. The blonde placed a hand on Freed's shoulder in support as they looked up to their spell.

As the final, closest glyph became shrouded by the flickering black lightning, both men held their breath. The magic stayed in place for a few seconds, before bursting out. Both men watched with cautious excitement as the sphere of energy grew and expanded, floating in place for a short moment until it exploded with a foreboding bang that filled the landscape.

The result was… underwhelming.

Instead of a powerful attack that combined the most effective aspects of both mens magic, the magical energy simply fizzled out. It mainly died out, the only remnants of their powerful magic being a small pulse that overtook them. The only sensation caused was a light fizzling that went through their bones. Neither an effective attack, nor was it a worthwhile use of their energy. Overall, the experiment had been a failure.

"Shit," Freed muttered harshly, stepping forward to where their attempted Raid had occurred. There was nothing to show for their spell at all.

He had intended for the spell to turn into a powerful beam that would fly upwards, similar to a Dragon-Slayer's roar but a combination of both of their magics. The endgame goal would be for them to be comfortable enough with their Unison Raid that it could be aimed at any enemy they came across. So, to see the spell disperse with a disappointing pulse instead of exploding into a powerful barrage of magic was disheartening to say the least.

Laxus stepped behind his husband, wrapping his arms around the man's waist and pressing his lips onto the back of his neck. It had been obvious that Freed enjoyed the challenge of finding a way to combine their magics – it had become his passion project – and to see the look of disappointment on Freed's face made Laxus feel like shit.

"We'll get there," He promised, holding his husband close. "Give it time."

"I know," Freed said, relaxing into the arms surrounding him. "It just seemed to be going well up until the final part. I suppose I was just getting excited."

"Nothin' wrong with that," Laxus mumbled into his husband's neck. "And the fact it nearly worked first time is good. Just means with a little tinkering it'll be good," He buried his nose into Freed's neck, nuzzling him gently. "And if it doesn't work next time, I'll make it my goal to make you feel better. By any means necessary."

Freed laughed a little, turning around in Laxus' arms so they were facing each other. "That sounds like an acceptable agreement."

"Thought you'd say that," Laxus chuckled. "And, y'know we're gonna get it right eventually. And when we do, we'll be fucking unstoppable."

"As if weren't already," Freed smirked.

Grinning at each other, they stayed in their embrace. Freed placed his head in the nook of Laxus' neck as he allowed himself to be calmed by his husband's words. He was right, of course. This had been their first attempt at something that, a year previous, would have been nothing but an unrealistic dream. They would get there, eventually.

And if this kind of attention came with each failure, he was happy with that.

* * *

 

After their first attempt, months passed. They hadn't given up trying to perform the Unison Raid; doing so would be going against the very ideals that Fairy Tail holds dear. Adjustments had been made, experiments had taken place, and more failures had occurred; Laxus made good on his promise to comfort Freed after each, even though he wasn't taking the failed attempts personally. Both were still determined to make the spell work, even if they had to face a hundred other failures.

But, as was common with Fairy Tail, they couldn't focus on one thing for too long.

Darks guilds rose and were taken care of; the yearly Grand Magic Games occurred, and the entire guild were called to the capital to either participate or spectate; and the S-Class trials were fast approaching and both men agreed Freed should focus on making himself as powerful as possible so he could finally get the title Laxus claimed 'practically belonged' to the rune mage.

Without either man noticing, the dream of performing a Unison Raid became a side project. They would work on it from time to time and were slowly getting closer to bringing Freed's plans to fruition, but it was by no means their top priority.

Certainly not when they found themselves under attack.

It was a dark guild, that was all Freed cared to remember about them. They were all basically the same – wanted either world domination or destruction, probably hadn't considered what would happen if they actually won and thought that attacking Fairy Tail of all places was a good idea – and instead focused on the task at hand. Protecting the guildhall from the mage that was attacking it while the majority of the guild went to end their enemies before they could cause any real damage.

Only a few members remained at the guild. The Raijinshuu, Laxus, Laki, Max and Kinana. The opposing guild had only brought one mage, which would have been more than manageable if it weren't for his magic. Cloning. Mass cloning.

Admittedly, the defenders of the guildhall had been cocky when they first saw the man approaching. That quickly changed when the mans form seemed to flicker, and suddenly multiply. It happened fast, worryingly so, and soon the clones of the man were outnumbering the remaining members of the guild. They each had weapons, some basic armour, and bared the disturbing feature of having their eyes stitched shut by a skin coloured string. What the clones lacked in magic, they made up for in numbers and a lack of care for their safety.

Worse still, they weren't stopped by Freed's runes. He surmised this to be because they weren't technically people – or maybe even living – meaning they weren't covered by his rules. Until he could discover exactly what they were, he couldn't amend his runes, meaning he would have to simply fight them off.

But still, he wasn't too worried. Assembled were some of Fairy Tail's best and strongest.

They managed to defend the guild easily at the start of the attack. While there were many of the clones populating the streets, it seemed they were pretty easy to defeat. After being hit by a certain amount of attacks – magic or otherwise – they would simply disappear in a slightly glitching manner. As many of the mages still at the guild had magic that could affect multiple targets at once, it seemed easy to stop from being overwhelmed.

"Laxus," A soft but panicked voice said over the sound of fighting. He looked back to see Kinana standing at the doors. "Oh god, they're here too? These… things, are coming for the back door as well."

"Fuck," Laxus cussed, he should have thought about that. "How many?"

"I'm not sure. More than out here, at least fifty, I think. They were all in a crowd, I couldn't tell for sure."

Laxus' jaw clenched as he heard this. Of course they wouldn't just attack the most obvious point of entrance to the guild, he should have made sure that all the exits were covered. Still, the fact Kinana wasn't saying anything about them actually getting inside meant that they were likely still struggling against the protections. He could fix this if he thought fast.

"Front and back entrances are probably gonna be their main targets," Laxus demanded. "Me and Freed'll stay here. Bix, Ever, go to the back. Max, take the south side entrance. Laki, take the west. Kinana, see if there's anyone still in the guild who're willing to help, send them to wherever you think the weakest point is."

After getting affirmations from the collected mages, all of whom quickly moved to their new positions, Laxus looked back to the mage spawning the clones. He narrowed his eyes, pissed at the fact he had been outsmarted, and let lightning crackle across him. Beside him, Freed was still grasping his sword that glowed and hummed after the spells he had casted, wearing a sneer as he looked towards their opponent who was standing across the other side of the fountain.

This was the quiet before the storm.

The two men could do nothing as the mage spawned more clones of himself. They filled the courtyard, and it was obvious that there was more than there had been before; Freed found himself wondering if the dark-mage's plan had been to split their forced and overwhelm them. If true, the mage was clearly underestimating the strength of him and his husband.

Not content with sitting and watching their opponent take an advantage, Freed and Laxus attacked. The courtyard was filled with pain spells and lightning within a moment, the newly formed clones fading out when hit. But not fast enough, as their numbers still grew.

It didn't take long before the courtyard was practically filled with the eyeless clones of the dark-mage, an overwhelming sight for the two husbands. Laxus resorted to using his dragon slayer magic in an attempt to thin out the numbers, but they were replaced almost immediately. Freed also started to use the darkness spells that, before his most recent training, were limited to his demon form. Just with Laxus' dragon-slayer magic, he managed to thin out their numbers for them to be replaced within an instant; the magical energy their opponent had was incredibly impressive, as well as aggravating.

Worse still, the original mage was lost in the crowd of clones, meaning they couldn't put their focus on the source of the issue. They both attempted to use their most wide-reaching attacks – Laxus sweeping the masses with his roar, and Freed using his flare bomb – but still the original mage couldn't be found.

"Crap," Laxus muttered, finding himself backed up against the locked doors of the guildhall. "This is fucking stupid."

"I know," Freed nodded, still brandishing his sword, with his free hand dripping with inky magic. "The rune kings were called nearly an hour ago; I know they're inadequate, but they should be here by now at least."

"We're gonna need to wipe them out all at once," Laxus concluded, looking over the masses as they grew larger and larger. The courtyard was full now. "You got any ideas?"

"Nothing certain. Do the most destructive spells we have at the same time, put all our magic in the spell to make them as powerful as possible, then just hope we can find the original and put our focus on stopping him."

Laxus nodded. The two men were standing back to back and took a moment to collect themselves, allowing their magical energy to flow throughout them. As they often did when fighting together when they found themselves overwhelmed, they let their hands connect and their fingers intertwine. They squeezed simultaneously, a silent promise that they would get through this together, and that there was nothing that could stop the two of them.

And as they did this, something happened.

A spark. It felt as though their insides burned, but it was empowering. Like the magic that they had been gathering was connecting, swirling into one combined power that the two shared. The sensation was new, raw and instinctive. Both men glanced at each other, knowing exactly what was happening.

They were about to perform a Unison Raid.

Magic flew out of them in a powerful burst, the excess wind knocking back the nearby clones and leaving a large area for only the two men. Above them, streams of spiralling magical beams shot into the air. Lightning and darkness dancing around one another in a double-helix of pure power, the burning sensation still coursing around their bodies burning inside of them. It was empowering, stronger than either man had ever felt, and they could both feel the other's magic in their veins as the spell began.

In the sky, the two spirals of magic slammed against each other and exploded in a firework of overwhelming magical energy, seemingly silencing the city. The two men looked up to see what their magic had created, their eyes wide at the result.

It was a magical construct. A dragon created entirely of black lightning.

The magical creature flew down immediately, rushing through the streets of Magnolia and towards the army of clones. Instead of obviously attacking, it few through the hoards of replicas as if they weren't there, seemingly doing the same to the clones attacking the other entrances to the guild. Once the dragon had passed through a clone, Freed saw that it had left a paralysis rune on each of them, rendering them all useless.

That rune on its own was powerful. The fact hundreds of them were in effect without Freed feeling any tax on his magic whatsoever was astounding.

Not finished, the dragon flew above the guildhall. It opened it's mouth and a barrage of dark lightning flew out, similar to Laxus' own roar attack though tainted with darkness. It was more chaotic and relentless that Laxus' actual attack, coming down form the sky and slamming against the ground surrounding the guildhall. Both men raised their arms to protect themselves when the onslaught got close to them, but each spark that hit them replenished their magic slightly rather than hurting them.

Before them, each of the paralysed clones were ripped apart as if they were nothing. The courtyard was emptied almost instantly, other than the singular real man that stood across from them, who now panted and was looking ragged.

Even now, the spell hadn't been completed.

After roaring the lightning attack throughout the border of the guild, it burst into the two beams of magic that had created it. They spiralled down at great speed, the beam of darkness flying towards Laxus while the beam of lighting went towards Freed. Both men expected an impact but felt nothing but an empowering burning across their skin. They were enveloped in light as they both felt a slight mutation cover them. Unfamiliar, but welcomed.

When the light died down, they could see the final effect that had occurred because of their spell. Freed's skin had grown scales, yellow and glinting in the sunlight. He resembled how his husband had looked whenever he had entered his dragon-force form.

Looking towards Laxus, Freed saw that his body had also changed as a result of the spell. His skin had gained dark, scale-like armour and black feathers; as if he was partially transformed into Freed's original demon form. Looking at each other, they both shared a grin. They both felt more powerful and connected to each other than they had before, as if their magic was fully combined.

Freed felt his sword grow an aura of darkness that would power up all his darkness spells significantly, and Laxus could feel lighting covering every inch of his skin. The power between the two men was immense, and clearly the dark-mage knew.

"You ready?" Laxus asked, voice mutated slightly in the way Freed's had when in his demon form.

"Definitely," Freed snarled as Laxus had when in Dragon Force, grinning.

They both pounced on their opponent, using their newly gained power to their advantage as they attacked the now desperate dark-mage. They were both riding the high of successfully performing a Unison Raid, movements fluid and comfortable despite the unfamiliar mutations that they had experiences. Everything felt right in a way that couldn't be explained.

Of course this was how to perform a Unison Raid. To be together with the man he cared for most, being forced into using the remainder of their power after being backed into a corner, that was the only way that they could fully release their power and combine their magics. Nothing artificial, nothing pre-planned and nothing false. Just a pure need for power mixed with a relationship based on admiration and love for each other.

This was how the two gained their title in the guild. An overwhelming display of magical ability that kept the guildhall safe from attackers. This was how Freed and Laxus became the Beats of Fairy Tail.


	2. Late Night Drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a seemingly unassuming mission, Freed and Laxus' lives change when the former proposes to the latter. After returning, one of the first things they decide to do is celebrate their engagement with a group of their close friends and family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my second admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is nice and fluffy, and follows the prompt 'Night In/Night Out.'
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**Day 2: Night Out**

The night was soft as they walked towards the guildhall, flickering streetlamps illuminating their way and the soft sound of the rippling canal guiding them. In a somewhat unusual display of public affection, Freed was leaning against Laxus, who had an arm wrapped around his waist and a small content smile on his face. Both men were smiling, in fact, and the reason for this was resting silently on the fourth finger of Laxus' left hand.

An engagement ring.

The jewellery piece was minimalistic, perfect for the blonde. The band was entirely black – made of obsidian apparently – and encrusted with small white diamonds across the centre. At the peak of the ring sat two larger diamonds, one yellow and the other purple. Reflections of their magics, Freed had explained, and Laxus kissed him again.

A lot of kisses had occurred between the two men that evening. Freed's proposal had come at the end of a mission the two had been on, happening on a near-empty beach just as the sun was setting, overlooked by the hotel they had just checked out of. Laxus couldn't be sure if this had been Freed's original intention or if he had seen how beautiful the situation was and decided to scrap his original plans and proposed then and there. Laxus didn't care if either were true; the moment had been perfect, and now he was to be married to the love of his life.

After the proposal itself, they had spent some time at the beach together enjoying the moment. The sinking sun glinted on the calm water, the sand was cooled by the darkened sky, and the couple were entranced by each other. However, despite neither wanting to, they needed to retreat to the train station so they could get back home.

It had been Laxus who had suggested that, rather than going home immediately, they should go to the guildhall. Bickslow and Evergreen would probably be there and both men wanted them to know as soon as possible.

"Not the whole guild though?" Freed asked, and Laxus had laughed.

"God no. Not tonight," He grinned, running a hand through his hair. He absently noted the feeling of the ring against his scalp. "They'll go insane. Don't think I can handle it."

"Thank god," Freed grinned, glancing at the ring and feeling his heartbeat slightly faster.

The train ride hadn't taken long, and they soon found themselves back in Magnolia. Laxus quickly recovered from the slight amount of motion sickness he experienced as they walked along the cobbles, the loud clock of the cathedral chiming ten times to signify the time. It was then that Freed had found the blonde snaking his arm around his waist, the ring resting against the rune-mages thigh. It was a nice feeling.

As they got closer to the guildhall, its presence was obvious. As always, it was brighter than the rest of the town and acted like a beacon, with raucous laughter being heard louder and clearer with each step they took forward. Neither man felt nervous as they approached, instead feeling empowered. This was their home, and their engagement would only make it better.

They managed to enter relatively undetected; other than Natsu, who seemed to have a sixth sense on people who he deemed fight-worthy. Ignoring the younger man, they both walked to the bar which Mirajane was attending to. As she was currently busy, they leant against the bar-top and waited. When Laxus placed the hand housing the ring on the aged wood, Freed smiled and intertwined their fingers with an expression of adoration across his features. Laxus wore the same expression himself.

"I should tell you, Mirajane knows," Freed explained as they waited. Laxus looked down at him with a small cocked eyebrow. "She was quite helpful in finding the one I was happy with."

He ran his finger over the ring gently to make sure Laxus knew what he was talking about, while also making sure that nobody who wanted to listen in on them would know what they were talking about. Laxus nodded slightly, resting against his fiancé with a smile.

"She reacted calmly when you told her, right?" He asked with a small grin.

"Oh completely," Freed chuckled. "She squealed, asked me around fifty questions within a minute and nearly passed out because she lost her breath; a perfectly rational reaction."

The two shared a laugh and waited for a little while longer as Mirajane finished serving the rest of the bar, before she came to the newly engaged couple. She smiled politely at them both, placing a wooden tankard under the bar and looked over them both. It was clear by the small frown on her fact that she hadn't expected the two to be there; it was rare that the couple would come to the guild this late, let alone after returning from a mission. There was clearly a reason for this unusual display of behaviour, and she was looking to see what it was.

It took her only a few seconds to see the sparkling ring on Laxus' finger. She looked up at the two of them, her mouth slightly agape with excitement. She brought her hands to her face, a wide smile breaking over her face.

"Before you say anything," Laxus said in a low voice. "We're only tellin' a few people today, so don't go shouting about it."

"Oh, of course," She whispered, still beaming. "But I'm so happy for you both."

Before either man could react, she leant over the bar and pulled them both into a slightly awkward but welcomed hug. Both men returned it as best they could, and the moment they pulled back Mirajane had pulled Laxus' ringed hand towards her and was inspecting it closely. She was hardly being subtle, but the amount of alcohol the guild had consumed throughout the night meant that nobody was paying enough attention to the threesome to understand what exactly was happening.

"It looks so beautiful," She continued to whisper, somewhat wistfully now. "I thought you weren't going to do it until later in the month, what made you change your mind? Oh, was it romantic, I bet you're both super romantic when you want to be?"

Freed chuckled a little, having expected this barrage of questions. It was true that he had originally intended to propose at a later date but seeing the beautiful scene of the beach – and how stunning Laxus had looked in the low, golden light – something inside of him had told him that this was the perfect time to do it. The fact that Laxus said yes told Freed his instincts had been right.

"Sorry," Mirajane cut herself off before she went any further. "You're not making a big deal about it tonight; you probably don't want me asking for every detail. I'm just excited for you both, that's all."

"You needn't be sorry," Freed assured her. "Besides, we'll be telling Evergreen and Bickslow upstairs, so we have some privacy. If you can get away from the bar for a little while, you're more than welcome to join us."

"Really?" She asked, grinning again when Laxus nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to Kinana. And I can get some champagne, on the house, make it a real celebration."

"Thanks," Laxus nodded. "Can you get us six glasses?"

"Six?" Freed questioned. Even with Mirajane, there would only be five of them.

"I wanna tell Gramps tonight as well," The blonde looked down to his fiancé. "You don't mind, do ya?"

"Of course not," Freed assured with a smile, feeling warm inside again.

"He's in his office right now," Mirajane explained, still wearing a large grin and fidgeting somewhat now. "I can bring him up with me, if you want."

"That'd be great, thanks," Laxus nodded.

With that, Mirajane walked down the bar again and began speaking to Kiana, leaving the newly engaged couple to leave the bar and walk towards the upper level of the guild. Freed had made sure that both of their teammates would be at their regular table, the lacrima-call on the train ending abruptly when Evergreen began demanding what was so important that she should be dragged from her home to the noisy guildhall on her night off. Freed knew hanging up on her would be unusual enough for her to do as he said.

As they climbed the spiral staircase, Freed found himself unable to stop smiling. When he had first joined the guild, he had been in the attitude that he needed nobody – both romantically and platonically. So to be in the same guildhall, telling his closest friends that he was to wed the man he loved was something he never expected to happen. It felt great.

Laxus' hand found itself against the small of Freed's back as they reached the upper floor and began to walk to their normal booth in the far corner. Evergreen sat with her back towards them, and she was clearly talking to Bickslow. It was obvious that Bickslow was more awake than Evergreen, as his animated hand movements and wide smiling face was a stark contrast to the slumped posture of the fairy mage sitting across from him. When he saw the couple approaching from the staircase, he clearly grinned wider and waved at them vigorously.

"There's my favourite power couple," He practically shouted, Evergreen looking over her shoulder with a significantly less enthusiastic expression. "Look at you two, coming out after dark. It's been a while; thought you were just a pair of grumpy old men for a little while."

"You two better have a good reason for bringing me here," Ever grumbled. "And for hanging up on me, Justine."

"As you can see, Ever's picking up on the grumpiness slack you two are leaving," Bickslow cackled.

Laughing a little at the comments of their friends, they moved into their regular booth; Bickslow having moved besides Evergreen so that the couple could be next to each other. They didn't let Evergreen's apparent annoyance bother them, they knew that even if she was bothered by being dragged from her home, that would soon go when she discovered why.

As they sat down, Evergreen had worn an investigative expression and watched them both closely. She was curious as to why her friends had been so insistent they meet that night; it was incredibly unlike them. As she watched them, there was some more abnormal things about them. They both had a single hand under the table – Laxus his left and Freed his right – which made her think that maybe they were holding hands under the table. Furthermore, they were both smiling in an almost lovestruck way, something that they would usually only do in their home.

To put it bluntly, they were being all lovey with each other. It was weird.

"Okay seriously," Bickslow almost shouted after a small amount of silence. "You're killing us here, guys. You just gonna leave us in suspense? What's up?" He started to whine at the end of his complaint.

Freed and Laxus shared a look, the latter deciding to speak. "Gramps could take a while to get here. Probably enough time to tell 'em."

"Probably," Freed agreed.

"You wanna do it then?" Laxus asked; he wanted to be the one who tells his grandfather, and also wanted Freed to be able to tell their friends. When the rune mage nodded with a small smile, it made the blonde smile as well.

Freed looked over to their two friends, wearing a calm but happy expression. Both Evergreen and Bickslow clearly wanted to know whatever secret the couple had, so much so that Evergreen's eyebrow was practically twitching and Bickslow was fidgeting in his seat with excitement. He withheld the urge to laugh at the two of them, wondering how their reactions would change when they found out what had happened.

"Since you both clearly want to know, its probably best to just say it," Freed began. "Earlier today, after our mission ended, I asked Laxus to marry me. As you can probably guess, he said yes."

There was a moment of silence. This was when Laxus chose to show the engagement ring.

After the second without speaking, Evergreen seemed to have completely forgotten about how annoyed she was about being taken to the guildhall. A wide smile had broken out across her face, and she couldn't stop her eyes from flickering between the ring on Laxus' finger and the couple. Their clear love-fuelled behaviour with each other had an obvious explanation now, and she felt small tears pricking at the sides of her eyes with how happy she was for two of her closest friends in the guild.

Bickslow was less subtle with his happiness for the two. Droplets of salty tears were already flowing down his cheeks, and his smile had somehow doubled both in size and intensity. If he was fidgeting before, he was practically vibrating in his seat now. Freed had no doubt that, if the table separating them wasn't bolted to the floor, he would have knocked it to the ground and pulled them into a hug.

"Holy fuck guys," Bickslow managed to speak first. "You know you're gonna be like the most powerful married couple in the country, right? D'you think Alzack and Bisca are gonna be pissed that they're not the only married couple? Oh, d'you think you'll have kids? Get a baby!"

Despite clearly being excited, Bickslow must have known that they didn't want everyone to know as his ramblings were relatively quiet. Laxus found himself laughing and Freed wore a soft smile. It was obvious Bickslow was happy for them.

"Leave them alone," Evergreen scolded the man beside her before looking at the couple. "How did this happen? It must have been planned, right? This ring's amazing."

"I decided I wanted to do it about a month ago," Freed began, and Laxus looked down at him with adoration in his eyes. He hadn't heard this yet. "It took a short while to find the right ring – eventually Mirajane found me in a jewellery store and wouldn't stop asking until I told her what was happening – and then she helped me find one that I liked. I've been carrying it around for about a week now."

"So you knew you were gonna propose at the end of the mission?" Evergreen asked.

"Not exactly," Freed smiled a little more. "I knew that I was going to propose by the end of the month, and my original plan was to do it at the harvest festival, but I had also promised myself that if a better situation presented itself then I would take. Which is, of course, what happened."

"You gotta give us more details than that!" Bickslow demanded, almost pouting.

"We can do that when Mira gets up here. She'll probably be pissed if she missed it," Laxus laughed a little, his hand meeting Freed's again. The rune mage found himself stroking Laxus' palm softly, a small gesture that the blonde loved. "And Gramps should probably know before we go into detail about it, he should be up here soon."

"Sure, that seems fair," Evergreen nodded, though she too was impatient to hear about how the proposal had happened.

"So have you guys come up with any ideas about the wedding yet?" Bickslow probed with a wide grin. "I better be the best man. And unless you wanna become some damn handsome statues, you should probably make Ever a bridesmaid."

"That might be a little difficult without a bride," Freed laughed.

Bickslow went to protest because they both knew what he actually meant, but they heard footsteps from the staircase to the second floor. When they looked over, they could see Mirajane at the top of the staircase holding a tray containing a large bottle of champagne and an assortment of crystal glasses. She was still smiling and, when she looked towards the newly engaged couple again, it seemed that her smile grew.

Standing before the barmaid was a slightly dishevelled and tired looking Makarov. The blonde knew that his grandfather only worked in his office when he was overwhelmed by paperwork and was trying to catch up, so he probably was extremely fatigued by the work he had been dragged away from.

As his grandfather approached, Laxus felt a weird sense of nervousness in his stomach. The weirdness came from the fact he wasn't scared about his approaching grandfather, and the nervousness didn't feel as though it was a bad thing. It felt like telling Makarov was the thing that would truly make this engagement real, and that was something Laxus found himself craving to happen. Perhaps it was more anticipation than nervousness.

"I've been told you need to tell me something. You brats better not have done something stupid," Was how Makarov greeted the couple. "I've got enough fines because of Natsu, I don't need another wrecking ball in human form."

"No its… er," Laxus stopped himself. He should have thought about how he'd actually say it. "It's nothing bad."

"I know that my boy, just messing with ya," The old man grinned, expanding his arm to pull two chairs towards the booth that the Raijinshuu and Laxus were sitting at. "I know this guild's a little eccentric, but even we don't get out champagne when we do something wrong. So, what actually do you have to tell me?"

At the question, Laxus gathered his thoughts and took a small breath. His grandfather would be happy for them both, he knew this without a doubt; hell, when he found out that they were dating he had tried to throw the two a party because it had 'finally happened after all these years.' It wasn't unrealistic to think that the old man would start crying in a similar way that Bickslow had when he was told. He just wanted to get this right.

"Okay," He said after a moment. "So, y'know how you treat everyone in the guild as a member of your family?"

"Of course."

"Well, so I guess what I'm saying it," Laxus took a breath to prepare himself. "With Freed, you don't have to treat him like he's a member of the family anymore. Because he actually will be part of our family."

To remove any doubt as to what he was saying – because he wasn't exactly being clear, he knew – he lifted up his left hand to clearly show the old man his engagement ring. Makarov seemed to take a few seconds to completely understand what his grandson was telling him. The second he did, however, a million different emotions seem to flash across his features. It settled on a mixture of pride and happiness for his grandson and new grandson-in-law.

"You're engaged?" He asked, voice showing the same emotion his face did.

"Yeah," Laxus nodded, and his voice cracked slightly over the single word. "Fuck yeah we are."

The blonde wrapped an arm around his fiancé with a wide grin, and Mirajane took this moment to pop the champagne she bad been holding. As she began pouring them all a glass of the expensive alcohol, Makarov expanded his arms again and pulled them into their second awkward hug of the day; at least this one didn't leave them with a bar digging into their hips.

"I'm so proud of the both of you," He said gently, voice cracking slightly in a similar way to Laxus'. "How far you come since you were kids… just so proud of you."

"Thanks, Gramps," Laxus whispered.

"None needed, Brat," Makarov grinned. "Now you remember this. Marriage might not be all roses, but the two of you are your biggest allies and friends. You look after each other, you love each other, and you make sure that you never waste a day together. You both understand me?"

"Yeah," Laxus grinned.

"Of course," Freed nodded.

"You better," Makarov grinned. "Now, you two also have to tell me what happened. An old man can never have too many sentimental stories swirling around in his mind, and I have a feeling this one's gonna stick with me."

With this, alongside some prompting from the others sitting at the table, Freed began to explain what had pushed him to propose at the time he had and what was going through his mind when he was doing it. He recited what he had told Laxus when he was on his knee, and Laxus occasionally chipped in with how he had reacted and what he had been thinking when it had happened. This had made Bickslow and Mirajane cry, while Ever and Makarov seemed unable to stop smiling at the couple.

Freed and Laxus themselves had found comfort in leaving against each other. Freed had his hand resting over Laxus' gently playing with the engagement ring. Anyone who saw them would agree that they looked as content and happy as two men could be, and it warmed Makarov's heart to see his grandson in such a state.

"Right then, a toast," The old man suddenly said, standing up with a smile and picking up his glass. The rest of the table followed his lead. "I'll keep it short, because if I don't, I think I'll start crying, so here goes. I know more than anyone that the people in this guild don't always have the best start in life, and sometimes they come here looking for family and love. And I'm so glad that the two of you have found it with each other, and that your love is so pure and strong that you want to take the next step with each other."

A small chorus of agreements came form the people sitting at the table, other than Freed and Laxus themselves. The couple smiled and leant a little further into each other, smiling softly at each other. Laxus leant down and pressed a small kiss against Freed's lips.

"To Freed and Laxus," Makarov continued, voice slightly louder. "I wish you a long and happy marriage."

The group raised their glasses, clinked them together and went to bring them to their lips. Makarov returned to his seat at the table, going to bring his drink to his lips. It was then that the group realised that the guild had gotten slightly quieter – but by no means silent – the moment Makarov had finished his toast. It took a few seconds for them all to realise why exactly that was.

"Marriage!?" A loud voice shouted from below. It belonged to Natsu. The lack of sound was because he had stopped fighting.

"Laxus-san. Freed-san," Wendy's voice followed after. "You're getting married?"

Makarov grinded his teeth a little, knowing that Freed and Laxus wanted to keep it quiet. When he looked at them, half expecting them to be angry at him for letting it slip by forgetting about enhanced hearing Dragon-Slayers contained, he saw that they were both laughing about it.

"We should have thought about that. Surprised it took that long for one of them to overhear," Laxus laughed, looking down at his fiancé with a soft smile. "You ready for it?"

"Of course," Freed chuckled slightly. "In retrospect, we were probably quite naïve to think we could keep any kind of secret in this place."

The two shared another short, chaste kiss with each other. As they did, they could hear a large amount of the guildmembers below breaking the 'no non-S-Class mage teams on the second floor' rule so they could confront the couple with any questions that had about hoe the two had become engaged. Almost simultaneously, the raised their champagne to their lips and emptied their glasses entirely.

"Good luck," Freed offered Laxus with a smile.

"Likewise," Laxus grinned.

The crowd of guildmates had made their way up the stairs at that point and were already throwing a wave of questions in their directions. Many of them were slightly invasive or overly personal but done so in a loving way that Fairy Tail was essentially known for. And even though the two were usually quite private and would normally take such an affront in a less than kind way, but they decided that today they would just let their guildmates have their fun.

Nothing could bring them down that night. Nothing at all.


	3. A Second First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a continuous steam of bad things happening, Laxus finds himself in an almost constant bad mood. Not wanting his husband to feel like this for any longer, Freed devises a plan to cheer up the man he loves. All he needs to do is have a second first date with the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my third admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is pretty fluffy, and follows the 'Mischief' prompt, albeit somewhat loosely. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**Day 3: A Second First Date**

**~~~**

"Seriously?" Laxus asked with a grin. "You're really doing this?"

"I've no idea what you mean," Freed chuckled. "But, if you mean taking a handsome blonde to dinner on our first date when you say 'this', then yes that's exactly what I'm doing."

That wasn't what he was doing. In reality, while he was taking his husband of three years on a date, it was not there first; they had been on countless dates before. That was why he was leaning against the doorframe of his own house – where he and Laxus had been living for four years – having given the blonde a single white rose that he knew Laxus secretly liked. They would also be going to a restaurant that they had been to multiple times and had essentially become regulars at.

Needless to say, this wasn't their actual first date despite Freed's suggestions that it was. But Laxus didn't care about that, grinning and taking his jacket from the coat hook beside the door and sliding it on. He was also dressed in smarter clothes for the evening; he had to make a good 'first' impression, after all.

Having a second first date years into their relationship had been Freed's idea. Over the last month or so, Laxus had been put through rather a large amount of shit. Failing a mission for the first time in years, his father coming back in a misguided attempt to become closer again, and Makarov becoming badly sick before eventually, slowly recovering. It had all taken a toll on the blond and the sheer number of bad things had left him in a pretty negative mindset. Freed had thought that, if he could give Laxus could have an evening of light-hearted, slightly absurd fun to take him to a slightly better place, then he should do so.

He had brought up the idea with the blonde a few days prior to the actual event. Laxus had initially laughed it off as a ridiculous proposal, but after some gentle persuasion had realised that maybe having a date with his husband where they were just having fun with each other would help him calm down.

"Are you actually gonna keep up the whole first date thing all night?" Laxus asked, wearing an amused expression as they walked.

"The whole first date thing?" Quoted Freed, who was smirking now. "This is our first date, Laxus. I only met you for the first time yesterday."

"Yesterday, huh. Seems like longer," Laxus chuckled, deciding that he might as well have his fun with the situation. "So, I guess my memory isn't great or something, because I can't quite remember exactly how we met. Wanna remind me?"

"Of course," Freed smirked.

When prompted, Freed began to regale a completely false story of how they had met the day before. If the rune mage were to be believed, only a day ago Laxus had been lost in the endless hallways of Magnolia grand library when a veritable hero with green hair and an elegant yet handsome face appeared to save him. The two harboured a flirtation as Laxus was guided out of the maze of books, and the hero had asked the lost man to dinner.

Despite himself, Laxus found himself laughing. It was somewhat based of a real event, where Laxus may have gotten slightly disorientated in the large library, and Freed had discovered him before the blonde manged to find a way out. But to hear Freed explain it as their first meeting, and with all the flare of a fairy tale love story, was amusing.

The rune mage couldn't help but feel warmed by one of the first real smiles he'd seen on his husbands face for weeks.

"Yeah, I'm starting to remember now," Laxus nodded, wrapping an arm around Freed's shoulders in an act of intimacy that had become normal between them both. "Not quite how you explained it, though. I remember some smug guy dragging me around so he could flirt with me. Not to mention check out my ass without any fucking subtlety."

"You were wearing a long coat and I could hardly see it, subtlety wasn't an option," Freed smirked. "Which, it seems won't be an issue tonight. Was that intentional?"

"If you got it, flaunt it," Laxus shrugged with a grin. He glanced down and grinned wider. "Advice you seem to be taking, too."

Freed replied without saying anything, simply winking towards the blonde and continuing to walk. Laxus let out a small laugh, pulling his husband closer and pressing his lips against the rune mage's. Of course if this were an actual first date, he wouldn't be so bold with him, but having been married to the man for so long he decided that breaking their slight role play would be acceptable when doing something he knew for a fact Freed had enjoyed in the past.

"So, given your issues with directions and the chance of getting lost, I should warn you that we're not just going to dinner tonight," Freed continued, and Laxus rolled his eyes as apparently his slight directional problems were going to be a reoccurring joke today. "After we eat, I thought we could go to the fairground that's in town. You can hold my hand if you think we'll get separated."

"You know, blatantly insulting a guy on the first date might mean you don't get another," Laxus teased with a soft grin, making a note to take his husband up on his offer of holding hands later. It was a date after all.

"Really, because I could bet anything that you'll be in my bed tonight," Freed looked up at Laxus with such a smug expression that Laxus could hardly hold back a roll of the eyes. "If you disagree, please say so."

Laxus waited for a moment before muttering. "We brought that bed together, asshole."

When he glanced up to his husband, Freed saw that Laxus was smiling a little and grinned; it really had been far too long since he had seen him in any form of consistent happiness, so it was nice just to see a soft smile on his features. He didn't comment on it though, the blonde could be private about his emotions even with Freed, and he didn't want to put focus on him.

The two continued to walk towards the restaurant side by side, with Laxus' arm still wrapped around Freed's shoulders. A relaxed and calm silence filled the air, and Laxus found that his mind didn't wonder to his recent troubles as it often had when he had been given time to think. Instead he found himself and his thoughts dominated by his husband. Every aspect of the man was brilliant, ranging from small things such as the subtle smell of his cologne to larger traits, like the velvet tone of his voice as he was calming him down after freaking out over something.

He really was lucky to have the rune mage. He offered him support basically whenever he needed it, but also would happily step back whenever Laxus needed some time to internalise whatever was happening, something that Laxus truly appreciated. Laxus tried to offer the same level of support to his husband – and Freed had said he had been a good shoulder to cry on or a soundboard for his issued whenever needed – but always had his doubts. He blamed these doubts on Ivan. The bastard always made Laxus assess his relationships with people whenever he showed up.

Still, that wasn't what the night was about. It was to get his thoughts away from all that had happened, and that wouldn't exactly work if all he could focus on was his insecurities about his emotional support.

"Thanks for this," Laxus spoke softly as they entered a more populated part of the town. "You're a good husband."

"I feel as though a good husband would have taken you on a date before their wedding," Freed gently teased, and Laxus chuckled. "But you know that you don't have to thank me for anything like this. We both know that you'd do the same for me."

"Still though," Laxus blushed slightly as he spoke. "Thanks."

He stopped, tipped Freed's chin up slightly so that it was angled towards him and leant down for a small but impassioned kiss. It only lasted for a few seconds, but both men pulled away wearing soft smiled and slightly red cheeks. They looked at each other for a few moments before continuing, the short seconds filled with the love for one another.

Laxus grinned as he walked, lips still tingling slightly. The kiss was good, first date rules be damned.

* * *

 

Freed perhaps should have expected this when he decided that a good portion of the date would be spent at the carnival. Because a large part of carnivals was made up by games, which encouraged competition. Freed and Laxus were members of Fairy Tail, meaning they were infused with an overly competitive nature by proxy. So two competitive men in an environment where competition was encouraged could only mean one thing.

They were now competing; because of course they were.

If Freed were just a witness of their actions, he would have probably laughed at the two of them. They had systematically gone through half of the games already, seeing who could either win if direct competition could happen, or who could get the best prize if it wasn't. They were keeping tally on who had won what games, though no prize had been decided yet.

Speaking of prized, that too had become an issue. The two men had won at least one from every game, meaning they had gotten a prize from each stall as well. While some were manageable and small, others were not. Including the large teddy bear that Freed had won and Laxus was carrying. The rune mage had claimed he won it for Laxus, so he needed to carry it. Laxus knew the real reason was that it was just because he found the image of him carrying a stuffed bear amusing.

The dinner they had shared had been great. The food, as always, was faultless and the conversation between the two men hadn't stopped since the moment they sat down. The façade of them being on a first date had fallen relatively fast – not helped by a waiter knowing exactly who they were – but that didn't matter. Laxus was enjoying himself either way.

"So, you finally caught up huh?" Laxus grinned, after counting up their respective wins on the games. "You even trying, Freed?"

"I was just being kind before I start playing seriously," Freed said impassively. "You'll be eating your words in no time."

"Maybe, but I just saw what the next game is," Laxus grinned, crossing his arms.

Following Laxus' gaze, he saw the next destination of their trip around the carnival. It was a strength testing machine, where they would slam a mallet against a plate to try and ring the bell atop the device. Freed was by no means a weak man – stronger than most, actually – but to claim that he was stronger than his almost bodybuilder of a husband would just be naive. And while Freed had a lot of confidence in his abilities, and justifiably so, he knew that Laxus' pure strength was larger than his own and he would almost definitely win. He'd also be unbearably cocky about it too, if his expression was anything to go by.

But still, Freed wasn't weak. And the game was limited by the bell at the top of the device, meaning if Freed could accomplish hitting that then he and Laxus would instead draw. That would at least save him the annoyance of his husband's cocky bragging.

Without sharing any words, the two men walked towards the strength tester. Freed paid the stall owner – they were taking it in turn, even though their money was shared – and they walked into the area containing the device. Laxus stepped back, allowing Freed to pick up the comically large mallet so the rune mage could play first. Freed knew this was because, if he got anything other than the best outcome, Laxus would showboat his attempt at the game as he took it as a way of rubbing salt into the wound.

Taking a step back, he raised the mallet into the air and slammed it into the targeted plate. The weight shot up high inside the game, shooting up to the bell. Freed watched with narrowed eyes as the weight raised just shy of actually hitting it, however.

"Fuck," He cussed under his breath, feeling Laxus looming behind him.

"Oh shit Freed," Laxus spoke in a voice which was incredibly patronising, and Freed sighed before turning to his husband. The expression on his face was almost enraging. "You were so close, even with those little arms of yours. You wanna let me try though?"

"Not especially," Freed muttered, but moved and handed the mallet to his husband.

Despite being half tempted to double down on annoying his husband, Laxus took the mallet and walked towards the strength tester. He showed off slightly as he twisted the mallet in his hand before taking a more serious stance. With an expression of determination that Freed couldn't be sure wasn't exaggerated, Laxus raised the mallet above his head and slammed it onto the pressure plate at the bottom of the device.

The outcome was predictable. The weight shot up, hitting the bell with a satisfying sound and making the game light up and music played throughout the small corner of the carnival. During the fanfare, Laxus turned to look at Freed with perhaps the most smug expression that he could possibly wear.

"I have a feeling you're going to be unbearable, Laxus," Freed sighed, walking towards his husband and fighting a smile.

"Guess what you lack in muscle you make up for in fortune telling, huh?" Laxus teased, deciding to get a little revenge for the joked at his directional skills; Freed knew he wasn't being serious. "Was that why you wanted to hold my hand earlier? You need a little help because you can't keep yourself up all on your own."

"You're funny, Laxus," Freed deadpanned, deciding that it would be better to play along.

The two walked out of the strength testing booth, Laxus occasionally teasing his husband about his victory over him in the game though never going so far to be actually insulting. After all, Freed's strength was one of many things that he admired about his husband, and the strength tester did advertise itself to be one of the hardest models available meant for only the strongest. Maybe it was an exaggeration to make the device more marketable, but with the strength of many wizards it wouldn't be unrealistic to think that the difficulty would be aimed to challenge everyone, including those with absurd levels of strength.

As a silent act of apology, Laxus reached down and took Freed's hand in his own. Freed smiled a little at the gesture, and they continued to walk throughout the carnival. As Laxus started to walk towards the next game – a darts throwing game with playing cards nailed against the back wall – he felt Freed going towards a different direction. He frowned when he saw that it was a food stall.

"You hungry?" He asked; the meal they'd shared had been pretty substantial.

"Thirsty," Freed amended, and Laxus accepted the explanation and walked in the same direction.

Laxus chose to avoid the line for the food stall, standing somewhat awkwardly with their small hoard of prizes. He leant against a metal railing, watching as Freed quickly made his way to the front of the line and spoke to the clerk.

He let his mind wonder slightly again, realising that for the second time that night that his thoughts hadn't been plagued by either what he had been going through nor any of his insecurities about his relationship; which had been on his mind more than usual as of late given the re-emergence of his father in his life. Instead, he found himself looking at his husband with an almost doe-eyed expression that he usually reserved for the privacy of their home.

They were on their first date, though, so it was okay to be openly romantic.

Actually focusing on his husband again, he saw the other man walking towards him. He was holding a drink of some kind, as well as what seemed to be an ice-cream cone. The blonde scrunched his features up, neither man was particularly fond of sweets, so it was odd of Freed to buy it.

"Thought you weren't hungry," He commented, looking at the ice cream. It was covered in strawberry sauce, further adding to Laxus' confusion.

"It's not for eating," Freed smiled. "Given that you're so funny, I thought it would fit with your image."

Laxus frowned and went to open his mouth in question, but Freed moved before he could. The rune mage openly, calmly brought the ice cream to Laxus' face and smeared it across his cheeks and nose, leaving a trail of the cold and sticky ice cream across his features. The blonde stood still for a moment, not sure on how exactly he should react to having his husband – a relatively stoic man –spread ice cream across his face for no real reason. He even seemed to put a focus on putting the strawberry sauce on his nose for some reason.

"If you're going to act like a clown, I thought you'd appreciate the face paint so you could look like one," Freed explained, smirking.

"You bastard," Laxus openly laughed, taking the napkin Freed had offered him and wiping his face. He was grinning when his face was clear. "You know the second you let your guard down I'm gonna get you back for that, right?"

"I'm counting on it," Freed grinned back.

Hand in hand, the two started to walk towards the next game they would play. Laxus was already planning his revenge as they did.

* * *

 

The couple returned to their home in the late evening, having made their way throughout all the games in the carnival. Laxus had won their competition by a single game, and had claimed both his prize and revenge by forcing Freed to go onto the dunk tank until he was submerged into the cold water, which didn't take long. Though he wasn't cruel and allowed his husband to use runes to dry himself off rather than making him walk home dripping wet.

It didn't take any of the enjoyment out of dunking the cocky bastard though.

By the time they had gotten home, no grudges had been made. The competitive nature of the two men meant that sometimes things like that happened, and they had grown to quickly forgive each other. Besides, seeing Laxus bent over laughing as Freed climbed from the cold water was worth the temporary inconvenience.

After getting home, they realised that it was later than either had anticipated and, given the shocking amount of exercise some of the games required, decided they should probably retire to sleep rather than waste time trying to stay awake.

Lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, Laxus found himself smiling wide. The thought had almost become redundant given the amount of times it had crossed his mind over that night alone, but he really did feel lucky to have Freed. His husband had somehow managed to prepare an evening that was practically perfect for taking his mind off everything. Prefaced it with something light-hearted, then a romantic dinner, and then did something that was stupid and fun by taking him to the carnival. He hadn't even fought back when Laxus insisted he should get into the dunk tank, which must have pissed the prideful man off.

Laxus frowned a little at that. Maybe he should look out for Freed getting back at him…

Looking towards their bathroom where Freed was brushing his teeth, the blonde felt the smile cover his features again. He was quick to remove his clothes and climb into bed, watching as Freed left the bathroom and did the same. Laxus shifted so that he was looking at his husband, smiling softly.

"Thanks for tonight," He whispered, leaning over and stroking Freed's cheek. "It was fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Freed smiled also, though it turned into a slight smirk. "And I feel that I should note that I was right. It's the end of the night and I have you in my bed."

"Our bed," Laxus corrected, laughing slightly. "But you right, here I am. You must be an awful charming guy, don't normally do this on the first date after all," Laxus teased slightly, cocking an eyebrow in a somewhat stupid way that made Freed chuckle. "The fact your shirt turned see-through when you got dunked and that you look sexy with your hair wet didn't hurt, though."

"I'll have to remember that for our second date," Freed grinned.

"Second date, huh?" Laxus leant forward a little. "Pretty presumptions of ya, library boy."

"I know, whatever about this situation would make me think that the man who's half naked and sharing a bed with me would want to see me again?" Freed wore an overly confused expression, and Laxus grinned. "What could I do to get you to forgive me?"

"Oh I'm sure you can think of something," Laxus smirked, leaning forward to kiss his husband again.

Not a bad end to a first date.


	4. Solace and Steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having been given a second chance to become an S-Class mage, Freed had put his focus on making himself strong. The issue was that he overworked himself, and Laxus couldn't deal with it anymore. So what else could he do but take his husband to a hot spring to relax?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my fourth admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is fluffy but also a little hurt and comfort based. It's from the prompt 'Vacation/Hot Springs.' 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

** **

** Day 4: Solace and Steam **

**~~~**

As they walked down the street, Freed came to the conclusion that Laxus had lied about why they had come to the scenic mountain town.

Two days prior, Laxus had apparently found a mission on the S-Class board that he wanted to take. He stated that the mission was in the relatively close-by vacation town of Takayama which had been struggling to fight against a group of arsonists, who were said to have been targeting all resorts and destroying them in an attempt to ruin the towns economy. The mission, of course, called for the arsonists to be stopped as soon as possible, as if the acts of destruction were to continue at the rate they were happening then the town would be crippled within the month. As the town was located nearing the peak of a mountain, relatively secluded, and with no other reliable sources of income, time was of the essence.

Laxus had claimed that the mission was perfect for them. The S-Class trials were coming fast and Freed was going to be a contender again, meaning this could be good practice for what was to come. Freed had agreed, and the next day they had packed up enough clothes to pass for a week – how long Laxus had predicted the mission would take – and left Magnolia to start their work.

But now Freed was thinking he had been lied to.

The town was incredibly pleasant. Rustic buildings designed to look like old-fashioned lodges sat undisturbed in the snowy environment, cafes and coffee shops were open and advertising their products with chalk-drawn signs, and people walked without any worry nor concern. Not exactly the behaviour expected of people who had been hit by multiple arson attacks.

It had taken about twenty minutes of walking in the town for Freed to be sure Laxus had lied about why they were there. There was still no signs of arson and destruction, and Laxus seemed just a bit too confident as he navigated the town that should have been unfamiliar.

"Laxus," He eventually said. "There haven't been any attacks here, has there?"

"Figured it out, huh?" Laxus chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck slightly as he stopped in his place. "No, there's not. Made the mission up so I could get you to come up here."

"May I ask as to why you did that?" Freed asked, voice slightly irritated.

His annoyance wasn't aimed towards Laxus himself, rather the fact the time taken to get here, and however long Laxus wanted to keep him here, was probably now wasted. Before he had been told of the fictional mission, his plan had been to perfect a new fighting style in which he would better include his enchantments. He'd been happy to put that aside when the alternative was performing an S-Class mission, but it now seemed like time he couldn't get back.

"Because of that face you're making," Laxus answered, crossing his arms. Freed snapped his head towards his husband in a silent question. "The second you realised this wasn't going to be productive, your face gets all stressed. Happens every time you try to relax recently, and I'm sick of seeing it."

"Well, I'll admit I have been working harder than normal," Freed began, slightly defensive now. "But I'm not doing anything that I can't handle."

"So Levy was lying when she told me she found you passed out in the training ground and had to take you to the recovery room to check you didn't get sun stroke a couple weeks ago?" Laxus looked down at his husband, who remained silent. "Thought so."

"Fine," Freed backed down, not enjoying the slightly saddened tone his husband spoke in. "So, why have you taken me here, exactly?"

"Glad you asked," Laxus grinned, voice more upbeat now.

The blonde wrapped an arm around his husband's shoulders and pulled him a little closer – both to be more intimate with the man, as well as proving he felt no annoyance or anger towards Freed nor his actions – and began to walk again. Freed looked around, slightly lightened now he knew there was no chance of being attacked by a group of fire mages; it was admittedly a beautiful place. The snow-covered ground combined with the log-cabin style buildings made the entire town look as though it was a postcard location.

"I know I can't stop you from pushing yourself altogether, and I don't want to, but if you keep going like you are, you'll just burn out again," Laxus began, and they turned a corner again. "So, to give you some time to recover, we're gonna stay here for a week. There's a place called the Charcoal Retreat that's meant to be pretty good for getting away from everything."

As they walked, Laxus began to recount the features offered by the retreat that they could make use of. Hot springs that were warmed by the natural heat coming from the mountain, an extensive spa containing all the luxuries of a world class resort, and a large pool open throughout the day and night were all particularly interesting to Freed. The pool specifically, Freed had always found swimming therapeutic and being able to do so in the night, hopefully alone, would be a perfect way that he could relax himself.

Laxus also mentioned massage therapy, but insisted he be the person to help Freed in that regard. Freed wasn't going to argue.

When they arrived at the retreat itself, it seemed to follow the same architectural theme as the rest of the town, though at a considerably larger scale. Laxus walked into the front reception and towards the main desk, placing the bags down on the carpeted floor. Freed followed his husband's lead, looking around silently; it was both luxurious and quaint, Laxus must have spent a lot of time thinking through where they would stay.

He would have to thank him properly later. This was incredibly thoughtful.

It didn't take long for Laxus to sign into the retreat and hand their luggage to the person on the other side of the desk, meaning they were soon free to visit their room. As they walked down the rustically themed halls of the retreat, Freed intertwined his fingers with his husband and moved so their sides brushed against each other.

"Thank you for this," He whispered, adoring a soft smile. "I'm sorry if I've been worrying you."

"You haven't," Laxus assured him, smiling just as softly down at him. "I know you're not an idiot and you weren't looking to overwork yourself, but I just wanna make sure that you're okay. And we can both get a little focused on a goal to see what we're doing."

"It's still sweet of you," Freed brought their hands up and kissed Laxus' knuckles.

"Yeah well, it's what a husband's for," Laxus chuckled, stopping when he saw the door to their rooms. He pulled the key and opened their room for the week. He continued speaking with a grin. "And when I walked down the aisle with ya, I knew you were the most stubborn guy I knew, and I'd have to deal with that."

"I'm the most stubborn man you know?" Freed chuckled. "You remember which guild you come from, right."

"I do," Laxus smirked. "And just 'cause you're all refined and shit, doesn't mean your any less stubborn than the rest of us."

Freed chuckled at his husband's gentle teasing at his expense and walked into the impressive room. Laxus must have invested a fair amount of money into the retreat, because it was clear the moment, they entered the town that nobody on a budget would be able to spend any real time there. And to have what is clearly one of the more luxurious – and therefore more expensive – meant that Laxus couldn't have done this on a whim.

The blonde removed his scarf and coat, placing them on the bed and looking towards the open fireplace that had been set alight before the two had entered. Freed did the same after closing the door, though also cupped his husband's chin and pressed their lips together.

"Seriously, thank you," Freed said softly, their foreheads still touching. "I know you must have put a lot of effort into organising this, and you were probably worried badly about me to do this, and I really am thankful that you did."

"You really don't need to," Laxus smiled, leaning down and kissing Freed again. "And if this is the kinda attention I'm gonna get, this place has already paid for itself."

"How much did it cost?" Freed asked, looking around. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I've been scouting around for a little while and this place was the best one I could find," Laxus grinned, moving his hands down so they rested on the rune mage's waist. "Nice and secluded, pretty much all of the reviews were great, and their whole appeal was to relax you. Exactly what I needed, as well as being in a pretty romantic place, so I can treat my husband the way he deserves."

"To think that the great and powerful Laxus Dreyar is so romantic. What would your teenage self-think?" Freed teased with a chuckle, Laxus nudging him. "How long have you been looking to take a break?"

Laxus blushed a little, and Freed frowned. With a slightly embarrassed expression, Laxus spoke. "About a month or so."

"Have I been overworking myself for that long?" Freed frowned.

The incident wherein Levy had found him collapsed in the training ground had been two weeks ago, and while he had been forcing himself to train harder than he normally would after learning about his place in the upcoming S-Class trial, but surely he hadn't made Laxus concerned the moment the announcement of that years participants. So, either Laxus had anticipated that Freed would work himself into such a state where the time away was needed, or he was already planning to take Freed away for no reason other to treat him. Either way, it made the rune-mage smile softly and bring their lips together again.

The kiss was less chaste this time and ended with Freed lying on the bed with Laxus hovering over him slightly. It stopped before it could get heated, and both men looked at each other with an expression that could only be described as lovestruck on their faces.

"You really are a good husband," Freed smiled, leaning up and planting a chaste kiss on his lover.

"Nah, not that good," The blonde grinned. "The real reason I picked this place was because I knew it had a great pool and wanted to watch you in a swimsuit for as long as I could."

It was clearly a joke, and Freed was laughing even before his husband pulled a ridiculous facial expression that contains wiggling his eyebrows in an overly suggestive way that was practically pantomime. The blonde was soon laughing too, and both men enjoyed the small moment of complete relaxation and comfort. The two weren't the most dramatic about their relationship, instead favouring to have small moments of complete bliss shared between them both, and Freed couldn't help but think this would be one he looked back on in days to come.

They started to kiss again, Freed bringing his hands into Laxus' hair to pull him as close as possible. Laxus quickly returned the kiss, and the world seemed to the both of them as they were the only ones in it.

For perhaps the first time since his part in the trial was announced, Freed felt himself truly relax and enjoy himself. Yes, maybe Laxus may not shout his romantic side from the rooftops and maybe they weren't the type of couple to push their happiness in other people's faces, but Freed would never say that Laxus wasn't anything but a damn good husband.

"Seriosuly though," Laxus grinned when the pulled apart. "You wanna go to the pool now, right?"

Within in a moment, both men were overthrown by laughter again.

* * *

It was at the end of the week when Freed and Laxus found themselves at the hot springs for the first time. They hadn't been putting it off, particularly, but the private baths have been fully booked until them and neither thought the idea of bathing with strangers would help relax them; more so given the pseudo-celebrity status being well known mages gave them. Still, when the availability presented itself, there was no reason not to take it.

Freed lowered himself into the steaming water first, allowing his muscles to relax in the comforting heat. The bath was located in what seemed to be a cave, though it had clearly been calved out and the rocks polished to the point where it felt like a regular room.

Laxus came in a little later, placing his town on the nearby rack and sliding into the water beside his husband. He let out a slightly satisfied groan as the coolness of the mountainous region was removed entirely by the hot water. He slid down so that it was covering him up to his neck, closing his eyes and letting the calmness and silence overtake him. When Freed looked over to him, the blonde was wearing a small but content smile; one that Freed mirrored as he too let himself sink further into the water so that he could relax.

The week had been great, and indeed had been a relaxing break that Freed needed. The time spent away from his magic training allowed him to recover from what he now knew was strenuous overworking. Equally important, he had also allowed his mind to wonder instead of focusing obsessively on how he could improve himself.

He was incredibly thankful that Laxus had done this.

But, as this was the last day of their vacation, it meant that reality was going to present itself again and Freed knew that he couldn't fight the oncoming thoughts that came with this. His overworking had been some sort of a defence, Freed had surmised, and now he needed to confront the reality that being nominated for the S-Class trials had revealed.

Freed was nervous.

He hated feeling like this, as it was unfamiliar to him. He had almost always been entirely sure of himself – he was skilled in the ways needed to do what he wanted, and always had been – so nervousness was something of an unfamiliar sensation. But performing in the S-Class trials was something unfamiliar and unpredictable, and he would be doing so against a series of mages who were just as passionate and powerful as he was if the circumstances called for it.

The moment he heard the S-Class rank existed; he knew he'd get there. He was a logical man and knew that the next step in his professional life was to enter the next grade of mage work. It had been his working goal the moment he joined Fairy Tail, so perhaps he had built up expectations of what the trial would mean.

He hadn't felt like this last time, which made his nervousness feel even more absurd. And he knew that the reason he didn't feel nervous before was because he wasn't going to take it seriously as an act of apology towards Cana.

But still, even knowing that, he still felt shit feeling like he did.

The heat of the hot spring now affording him a clear mind and space to think, Freed couldn't stop the nervousness seeping in. He tried to not let his mind dwell on it and thought back through the week in a hope that the memories of what had happened would bring him back to the relaxed state that he'd felt when they had happened; it didn't help.

"Freed," Laxus' voice was in a soft whisper, and Freed opened his eyes to look at him. "You're wearing that face again."

The rune mage sighed, leaning his head against the man's shoulder. "Sorry."

"Keep telling ya, you don't need to apologise," Laxus turned to Freed and pressed his lips against Freed's head. "It's really fucking with you, isn't it? Is that why you've been pushing yourself, 'cause you're stressed about the trial?"

"I suppose," Freed sighed, softly looking up to his husband. "It's just that… basically the moment I became a mage, the goal was to become as successful as possible and to do that I needed to become an S-Class mage. Perhaps I gave it some kind of mythical status in my mind without really realising I was doing it, and now that I've got a legitimate chance of making it a reality, it's just starting to get to me. Is that stupid?"

"Don't think so," Laxus assured him, gently playing with a green stand of hair that floated in the water. "It is a big deal, and as much as you have control about most things, nobody can stop themselves from feeling nervous about something."

Freed nodded slightly. "Were you nervous about your trial?"

"Course I was. Wouldn't admit it, though," Laxus leant back, smiling slightly. "I was too busy thinking emotions made you weak to actually talk about what I was feeling. But yeah, I closed myself off even more than I normally had because I didn't wanna look weak."

Laxus remembered back to his teenage years when he received the S-Class title. It was in a time where he was most unhappy and rebellious in the guild, and he was starting to become more arrogant and dismissive of his guildmates. It was before Freed and the rest of the Raijinshuu had joined the guild, so he was essentially alone and dealing with his nervousness about the trial in his own head. It hadn't been good for him, and he remembered more than one sleepless night the stress caused, so he was determined that Freed would at least have someone to vent to.

For Laxus, the S-Class trials had meant more than achieving a goal. He had been so sure in his abilities that he needed to win. If he failed, all the claims about him being the most powerful member in the guild would blow up in his face. He didn't think he could handle it.

He had to wonder if Freed was feeling like that, in some way.

"You know, I didn't pass the trial the first time I did it," Laxus admitted, and Freed looked up at him with a frown. He hadn't been told this before.

"You didn't?" He asked with a small frown.

"No, the same year I first went for it, Mystogan did as well," Laxus began, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "Honestly, forgot the guy existed; I was too busy in my own head to remember. I thought the trials were just for me; more of a test than a competition. Then when we got to the end, we had to fight, and I pretty much forgot everything about him. He knew enough about me, so made a good plan on how to deal with me and won pretty easily."

The blonde could remember vividly what it was like after that defeat. He refused to see anyone in the guild after that – there was no way he wouldn't be the punchline of every joke after that – and it had been one of the first times in his life he'd suffered a real defeat.

But now, he looked back on it as a good thing. Because he'd gotten over it, and it hadn't ruined his life.

"Freed, I'm not saying you need to prepare to lose, because I honestly think you can do it easily," Laxus assured him, kissing the top of his head again and smiling when Freed shuffled closer to him. "What I am saying is, I know what it's like to think that the trial is the most important thing in the world, and I know what it's like to fail at doing that. And if it does happen, you can get past it. And it certainly ain't worth pushing yourself to exhaustion in training when you're powerful enough to walk it with the spells you've got now."

"I know the world won't end if I don't succeed. It's just that, I don't know, just because I know I don't need it immediately doesn't mean that I don't want it," Freed sighed.

"I get that," Laxus nodded. "And I do think that you've got a good chance of winning this thing. But you gotta be able to take a step without fainting to do it."

Freed nodded, his worries now less on his mind as he looked through the steam and let the hot water relax his muscles. He was now leaning completely on his husband's side and the larger man was gently running his hands through Freed's hair, a small but comforting gesture that the rune mage was thankful for.

He began to think about the trial again, but in a different light compared to how he had before. He now felt a sense of relaxed determination; he wasn't obligated to win the trial, but he was still intending to get the title.

As his mind wondered, one thought in particular stuck and made him laugh. Laxus looked down at him with a small frown of confusion when he heard it.

"Sorry," Freed chuckled. "I'm just imagining how you reacted losing to a person you had forgotten existed. Given what I've been told about how you reacted when you were a teenager, I'm sure that you were calm and rational."

Laxus grinned, nudging his husband as they both knew there was no chance of that happening. "Asshole."

Freed also grinned, glad to have a distraction as Laxus told him just how calm he had been when he realised, he wouldn't be getting the title the first time. Freed couldn't be sure if Laxus had been exaggerating or not when he claimed that he had a 'large tantrum' and 'electrocuted the shit out of the ocean' on the boat trip back from the island. Freed often forgot that Laxus was a pretty talented storyteller, but the vivid image of Laxus' childish pouting was enough to remind the rune mage.

"Seriously though," Laxus said softly as the story ended. "Whatever happens, you'll be fine. You're strong as hell, a talented fighter, and a great husband. You're great."

"Thank you," Freed smiled. "You're a damn good husband too."


	5. A Complicated Type of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sitting in his bed, Laxus beside him, Freed's mind starts to wonder. He thinks back to the first time he met the man he would fall in love with, and the hope that came with that meeting. A complicated type of hope, but hope none the less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my fifth admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is a little bit angsty, and an exploration of a character's backstory. It's based off the prompt 'Hope/Despair/Complicated/Easy.'
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**Day 5: A Complicated Type of Hope**

**~~~**

Freed slowly, carefully placed the novel he had finished reading down on his bedside table. He reached for the lamp beside him, flicking it off and slowly letting his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness of the room. He removed the small band that was keeping his hair tied up, yawning slightly as he looked towards the man who was sleeping soundly next to him.

Laxus had been asleep for about an hour, his back facing the ceiling and a large pillow wrapped up in his arms. The bed covers were only halfway up his torso, something Freed carefully remedied so his husband wouldn't wake up cold in the middle of the night. The sensation of the fabric running against his skin must have been recognised by the sleeping man, as he shuffled slightly, let out a small sound with no distinguishable meaning to it, and nuzzled his face further into the pillow before settling again.

It was a cute sight, to say the least.

As he looked over his sleeping husband through the darkness, Freed thought back to the book he had been reading. It was called 'Hope' and told the fictional story of someone living a hellish life and their slow accent to happiness. It somewhat made Freed think back to his life before Fairy Tail, and how Laxus had become something of a beacon of hope to him.

The memories made him smile as he slowly readjusted himself so that he could lie beside his husband, yawning again.

* * *

 

_The first time Freed had seen Fairy Tail, he had been fifteen years old._

_It was in the second month of him being enrolled in the Rune Army's cadet scheme. The program was advertised as a way to teach young men responsibility as well as setting them up for a successful career in the Rune Army, allowing them to begin active duty the day they turned eighteen. Even in the short time Freed had been involved, he realised that the program was a thinly veiled way that the army could get their grunt-work done for free while pretending that they were teaching their recruits discipline._

_Freed hadn't had any say in joining the program. It seemed that the moment his parents realised he had magic that would be appealing to the army, he was being told to pack his bags so that he could be shipped to the army base where he would live. He had no doubts as to why his parents wanted him there; he was an inconvenience to them, and this allowed them to be rid of him in a way that was socially acceptable_

_He wasn't angry at them. He'd long since been aware of his parents' feelings about him._

_Even after spending only two months as a cadet, Freed had decided that he would leave the moment he could. Until then, he knew he had to go along with whatever the power-mad generals wanted without much objection. Despite their ages, if the cadets were seen to be disobedient, they were punished in the same way real troops were. Physical labour that, for their age, was dangerously strenuous._

_"In line, now!" Was yelled to the cadets, who all straightened themselves and stood to attention._

_The general who had addressed them was known only as Takin. Though Freed didn't know for sure, he had assumed that their leader was resentful of being in charge of cadets rather than official troops and thought it useful to take out his anger on the teenagers who he was in charge of. He was relentless, thoughtless, and saw respect and fear as interchangeable._

_Looking impassive, Takin walked through the four rows of young cadets. There was twenty of them altogether, all standing to attention in uniform, wearing buzzcut hair styles and stoic expressions. None of them wanted to stand out, as getting attention from their general was not a good thing._

_They weren't in their barracks as they normally would be. In an attempt to make the cadet scheme look more legitimate to the public, they would often be involved public celebrations or parades. Takin had stated that they would take twenty of the most respectable – which meant most obedient – cadets to the Magnolia harvest festival. They were to be part of the carnival procession, simply marching in line as they did every day, and as a reward of some kind they would be given a short amount of time to roam free throughout the city before they returned._

_The whole thing was a publicity stunt, but Freed was craving any sense of freedom so wouldn't complain._

_"You will walk in time," Takin demanded. "You will not speak. If you see your families, you will not address or look at them. You represent me and if I end up looking bad because of you, you will be reprimanded the minute we return to the barracks. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes sir!" A chorus of well rehearsed yells followed his questions._

_Takin continued his pep talk, as he called them, for a few more minutes. As Freed's eyes were set straight forward on his commander, he couldn't see if anyone had taken issue with the way the young men were being treated. Although Freed considered himself old enough and mature enough to take the verbal onslaught, he knew that some of the assembled teenagers couldn't deal with the constant abuse from their leader._

_It wasn't long after the supposed pep talk that the carnival had begun. Freed hadn't gotten a good gage as to where in the possession they were, but he had figured out that the float in front of their designated space had someone dressed up as a turkey that danced. The juxtaposition of the that compared to the regimented group of teenagers was almost funny._

_Freed didn't laugh, though._

_Doing so would make him stand out which would lead to reprimanding._

_When they made their way to the main part of Magnolia, walking in complete unison with their boot slamming against the cobbles simultaneously, they were presented with people cheering and laughing and applauding. The sun was warm and almost comforting, and if he were allowed to then Freed may have smiled._

_They continued to walk, and that was when he saw the guildhall. Illuminated by the rising morning sun, a large and grand looking building appeared ahead of them. The insignia of the Fairy Tail guild was presented at the forefront of the building, so it didn't take the rune mage long to realise what exactly it was._

_From what he'd been told about guilds, both from his parents and from the generals in charge of him, guilds were something of a necessary evil. His parents had shown them as vigilantes who were getting in the way of 'real' law officials who should be stopped, and the army had portrayed them as lower rungs on the ladder of authority. The image these stories had led him to believe they were full of miscreates and undesirable people; nothing more than troublemakers who needed to stop interfering with things that didn't concern them._

_But as he glanced towards the group assembled before the guild – only for a second as not to be seen – he saw a group of happy people. Children and adults alike smiling, a heavy mixture of all people. Not anything like he had been told._

_As he continued, he saw people were carrying small flags that contained the Fairy Tail logo. They weren't seen as troublemakers by the people living here, they were almost celebrated. It seemed as though Freed had been mislead about what place in society Wizard Guild's held; it wasn't surprising, given who he had got this information from._

_He couldn't dwell on it for too long, however, as the further away he got from the guildhall the less traces of their influence could be seen. He put his focus back onto marching and walked the rest of the way through the carnival route; all the while ignoring the pain, he felt in his feet because of the ill-fitting boots._

_"Right," Takin began as they assembled at the end of the route. "You have two hours. Be here on time, and remember you still represent me. Behave, and if I hear you disrespect me then you'll be on latrine duty."_

_It said something about Takin that, when hearing this threat, Freed wondered why he was being lenient._

_After being dismissed, most members of the troop began to walk towards their families who had come to watch them. Obviously not having anyone to talk to, Freed had decided to look around the unfamiliar town. He had accrued a small amount of money from doing extra work around the barracks, so could perhaps afford something. Shining Takin's shoes for a week was particularly humiliating, but hopefully worth it._

_He walked past all the meaningless things without a word; why waste money on candy-apples and shoddily made stalls when he could do something more permanent. He didn't know when the next time he would be let out like this would be, so he was intending to make the most of his money while he had the chance._

_It was when he saw a bookshop that he realised the best use of his money. It was small and perhaps a little dingy, but it was open and that was all Freed required. He walked in without thinking._

_Browsing through the unorganised selection of books in silence, only vaguely aware of the old man who owned the shop watching him, Freed tried to find something that interested him. When he had lived in his parent's manor, he had always preferred reading something factual. But now, presented with a reality that he had little control over, he found himself craving some escapism. He ended up finding this in a dusty corner, with a leather-bound book containing a blurb that explained the fantasy elements of the story. When he took it to the shopkeeper, he was forced to spend basically all the money he had gotten; not as much as he thought, apparently._

_As he took the book from the man, he felt a small fizzing on the back of his hand. He winced slightly as a thought was pushed into his head, something which should have become familiar now but hadn't. This was how the army gave instructions, with a rune on the back of his hand that took the words of his commander and imprinted them in his mind._

_Their time alone had been shortened to an hour. He would have to leave soon to get back in time._

_Fantastic._

_He thanked the shopkeeper and left immediately, turning towards the dark and wet alleyway he had walked through to get to the bookstore. He held the book as he walked, glancing up to see another person enter the alleyway from the other side. He shifted slightly to the side to not fully take the confined space and continued walking._

_It was the cadet's expectation that, just like he had, the man on the other side of the alley would shift slightly so they could walk past each other without issue. This turned out to be untrue, as the older man shoved their shoulders against each other roughly as he passed._

_"Fuckin' watch where you're going," He even had the arrogance to say._

_Freed felt his chest tighten slightly in perhaps anger. He admitted it was a small thing, but it felt as though he was reaching the final straw. He already had to deal with dismissive parents, a borderline abusive general who was in control of him, and a lack of any freedom. And now he was expected to deal with an asshole blaming him for something that wasn't his fault._

_No. No way in hell._

_He spun on his heel to see the retreating figure of the man. He was taller than Freed, with unkept blonde hair and a body that was relatively muscular. When he had been approaching him, Freed had seen the other man had a scar covering his eye and was probably older than the rune mage by a few years._

_"Hey," He shouted slightly, knowing his voice was carried loud enough for the other man to hear._

_The blonde ignored him completely, and Freed snapped. It was all too much, and being ignored while still feeling that stupid, invasive fuzzing from the rune on his hand had driven him to a point where it felt all his senses were overloading. It was all too much._

_"I am talking to you!" He yelled, but something was different._

_His voice was different, mutated into an otherworldly snarl. It hadn't been his intention to sound like that, and he felt as though it could have only happened with some kind of magical interference. He chose to ignore this, stalking forward towards the other man, who seemed to have definitely heard him this time, as he turned._

_"The hell do you want?" The blonde almost spat as he spoke, voice gravely and seemingly annoyed. "Thought you little army pricks were kept on a leash."_

_Freed didn't think through his actions. He dropped the book to the floor and slammed his fist into the taller mans jawline, sadistically loving the small crack he felt reverberate through his bones. Part of his mind imagined doing that to the people who had pushed him to this point of anger; to his parents and to his generals. To punch Takin, bring him to the floor and hurt him, was something Freed was craving._

_The power fantasy went as fast as it came, and Freed saw that his punch had been more powerful than he had expected. The blonde's head had been slammed against the wall by the force of the punch and was rubbing his head in pain. Freed hadn't punched someone that hard before and looked down at his hands for any kind of explanation._

_He was met with one. His right hand was not his own, but a monster's._

_"Shit," He whispered, looking down at his hand with wide eyes. "No. Fuck, why are you doing this now."_

_This wasn't the first time this had happened. Freed had always known that he had some kind of connection to a demon of some kind, something he had tried to rid himself of many times. It had been nearly a year since he had undergone any kind of transformation, which he had accredited to the runes that he had written on himself. The demon was the reason he had learnt rune magic before, and it had been worthwhile to keep the creature hidden. But now it seemed that the emotional state he had been in had overthrown his writings and the demon was coming back again._

_He was quick to act, knowing how to deal with it for a short time at least. He pulled out the dagger that was part of his uniform, placed the demonic hand on the wall and slammed the weapon down, impaling himself with it though not feeling a thing. He knew that the demo would retreat if put through enough pain._

_As he did this, he was unaware of the blonde looking at him with wide eyes._

_The rune mage watched as the demonic claw slowly reverted back into his normal hand, melting the blade as it did and ruining the sleeve of his uniform. He couldn't explain to Takin what had happened, so would have to lie about what had happened. He would be reprimanded without a doubt the moment he returned, and the rune mage felt a sickness grow in his stomach as he came to terms with this fact._

_"The fuck was that?" The blonde demanded, and Freed snapped his head towards him._

_"Nothing," He said with rigidity, and went to walk away. A hand landed on his shoulder and turned him around._

_"Nothing?" The blonde quoted with an incredulous tone. "You just fucking stabbed yourself and you called it nothing?"_

_"That wasn't part of me," Freed insisted, voice harsh as he shook the stranger's hand off him. "I have to go."_

_Again, he went to walk down the alley again, but heard footsteps jogging to keep up with him. When he was turned around for the second time, he saw that the blonde had picked up the book that he had dropped when dealing with the claw he had grown. He snatched the book from the blonde's hands immediately and went to walk away, but the blonde was grabbing his arm and not allowing him to leave. He tried to shrug the man off but the grip simply got tighter and his chances of leaving on his own terms lessened slightly._

_"What did you mean by it wasn't part of you?" The blonde demanded. "It looks like take-over magic or something? Pretty fucking powerful too," He rubbed his jaw to highlight his claim._

_"It isn't magic. It's a curse," Freed spoke adamantly._

_"Who the fuck told you that?" The blonde laughed a little at the idea, and Freed bristled. "Because whoever it was, they were bullshitting you. You weren't being taken over by some random monster or anything. You swung that punch, you wanted to do it. Not some demon. Just a spell or something"_

_Freed didn't say anything immediately. This wasn't an opinion he had heard before. Everyone who had seen this demonic side of him had called it a curse. This included his parents and the doctors that had been taken to the household when Freed had been there._

_"That isn't my magic," Freed denied. "I am well versed in enchantments and runes. Not demons."_

_The blonde seemed to ignore him. "Why the hell are you part of the fucking army with a takeover spell like that? You can't wanna be some faceless foot soldier, right?"_

_"I wasn't exactly involved in the decision," Freed muttered harshly, mainly speaking to himself._

_"Then fucking leave," The blonde spoke as if it were obvious. "If you don't wanna be there and they're not gonna let you use any of your actual magic, what's the point in being there. The guild's always taking in runaways and fuckups, half the people there are orphans or whatever. That ain't gonna stop anytime soon, but if you joined at least you'll be a runaway with a bit of power inside of you."_

_Not knowing what to say to the invitation – if it could even be called that – Freed made a final effort to shrug himself free of the mans grasp. He succeeded this time and started to walk away for the final time; he knew that the time he had to get back to Takin was slipping away from him. This time, the blonde didn't follow him._

_"Hey," The blonde shouted again. "If you join the guild, I want you on my team. Name's Laxus."_

_Freed paused for a moment. Laxus. What he was offering was something that Freed had never had. He thought back to the faces of the guildmembers he had marched past and almost yearned for it. They were all individual, happy, and seemed to be acting as a family despite having no relation. And a stranger was offering him that based on a power that he hated._

_After a moment, he looked over and spoke. "Freed."_

_That was all he said before he continued walking._

* * *

 

The memory of his first meeting with the man who was to be his husband made Freed laugh. Some people had a story that was grand and romantic that would make anyone who listened to cry; the two of them had a confrontation with each other in an alleyway wherein Freed had punched Laxus with a magic he refused to admit was his own.

Although it had been a chance meeting, Freed felt it to be one of the most important moments in his life. Not only had he met his husband that day, but he had also been given the first taste of independence in his life. It had been a turning point, and the offer of joining a guild had been something that hadn't left his mind since the moment it entered. It had given him hope that he wasn't destined to follow the demands of other people; be it a general of his cadets troop or his parents.

In many ways, he owed that to Laxus. He owed his hope to Laxus.

The decision to leave the cadets when he was sixteen had been hard. It wasn't as if he could leave without difficulty. His previous obedience meant the generals had been careful not to give him any hope of another life, and he knew that his parents would rather have him there than at home, so returning to the manor wasn't an option. He would have never seriously considered leaving if it hadn't been for Laxus, most likely, as the blonde had offered him some kind of security.

And although his time in Fairy Tail hadn't gone exactly as he had planned – Laxus having become more involved in his own plans by the time had managed to escape from the cadets – Freed did find something of a real family in the guildhall. This was only possible because of his husband, he had concluded.

He had asked some point later in their relationship why Laxus had offered him a place in the guild. Apparently, it had bene over a year since Laxus had been hit in any capacity, and he was impressed by the ease in which Freed had managed it.

It was funny to think that the man who had calculated people's worth by their usefulness had become the same man drooling into his pillow beside him.

Freed's life had never been particularly logical. His formative years had been governed by guardians who were equally dismissive of him as well as being overbearing. And then Laxus had entered his life, acting as a figurehead for individuality and being himself. No more controlling figures dominating his life, simply being in control of his own destiny. Laxus offered him a sense of hope that his life had lacked up until that point; a complicated kind of hope that made Freed become the man who would eventually run the Raijinshuu and marry Laxus Dreyar.

"Night Laxus," He whispered, pressing his lips against Laxus' head.

The blonde let out a small groan. "Night Freed."


	6. Feast of the Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a fire takes place at the girls dorm, Wendy finds herself sleeping in a guildmates house until something more permanent can be organised. After waking up to Laxus entering the unfamiliar house, the young woman finds something new about her guildmates and shares a midnight snack with the unfamiliar dragon slayer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my sixth admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is a nice and fluffy, as well as including a nice BroTP moment between Laxus and Wendy. It's based off the prompt 'Sweet Treat.'
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**Day 6: Feast of The Dragons**

**~~~**

The sound of a hinge creaking was what woke her up.

Wendy had been asleep in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar house; Freed's house to be specific. There had been something of an incident in the Girl's Dorm building, making half of the rooms uninhabitable and putting the structural integrity of the building in question, meaning that almost all of the female members of Fairy Tail were now essentially homeless until the rooms could be fixed. These members of the guild had been placed with in their fellow guildmember's houses where possible, explaining why Wendy found herself in Freed's home.

She looked towards Erza's sleeping form in the large bed they were sharing – the older woman had also been placed with Freed's home, Wendy expected it was because she didn't feel lonely as she didn't know her host overly well – to see she apparently hadn't heard the sound that had woken Wendy up. The sky-mage didn't try to wake her, knowing that it was practically impossible.

Carefully opening the bedroom door and hoping it wouldn't creak, Wendy made her way to the upstairs hallway of Freed's relatively small cottage. To her left was the staircase, and to her right was the bathroom; Freed was sleeping on the sofa downstairs having given his bed up for the two guests.

She felt bad about that, but Freed had insisted.

Perhaps that was what all the noise had been, Freed moving downstairs. It was their first night after all, so she couldn't be sure as to when Freed would retire for the night. Maybe he was just moving around his house, and Wendy was just on edge because she hadn't been there before and wasn't yet comfortable with the location. It was possible.

Despite what she told herself, she continued to walk. Carefully so that she didn't make too much noise, she walked towards the staircase. She didn't go down it, instead peaking her head around the corner so she could overlook the front door to the cottage.

She wasn't scared, which sounded untrue given her caution, but she really wasn't. She was a strong mage herself and had more than held her own in a fight, and she was in the same house as Erza Scarlet, an S-Class mage! She also knew that Freed was a powerful mage, even if she hadn't seen him fighting seriously before. All in all, there was a lot of powerful mages in the building at that very moment and all of them knew how to look after themselves, so if there was any kind of house invader who had been responsible for waking her up, they would be the one in trouble, rather than her.

Still, as she saw a cloaked figure that didn't seem to be Freed standing at the door, she panicked a little.

The cloak was a dark brown colour, seemingly made darker by the rain that Wendy had heard against the windows. Whoever it was, they didn't exactly seem like the normal house invader; they weren't looking through Freed's things for anything valuable, instead they just… took their shoes off. The person was being weird, maybe it would be best to wake Erza up?

Just as the dragon slayer made up her mind to wake her friend, the cloak was removed from their figure. The invader was a large man with blonde hair, and Wendy's concern immediately turned into confusion.

"Laxus?" She questioned aloud before she could stop herself.

Any doubt she had about who the blonde was died a moment later. At the mention of his name, Laxus' head shot up towards the top of the stairs and stared at the young woman standing there; his distinctive features on full display with the lamp he had turned on. There was a moment of silence between the two mages, both trying to understand what was happening.

"Wendy?" Laxus was the one who broke the silence, taking a step towards the stairs. "Why are you here?"

It took Wendy a few seconds to realise why Laxus wouldn't know about what had happened with the dorm room. The blonde had taken a mission a few weeks ago – something difficult if Mirajane was to be believed – and hadnt returned to the guild since. He must have just gotten back. But why would he be here?

"There was a fire at the dorm building, we can't stay there for a while. Me and Erza are staying here until we can find a hotel that'll take us for a while," She explained, still frowning. She walked out from behind the wall she had been hiding behind. "Why are you here?"

"I live here," Laxus said slowly, in a slightly deadpan way.

"I thought this was Freed's house?" Wendy frowned a little further, watching as Laxus hung the cloak on a coat hook beside the door.

"We live together," Laxus explained.

Wendy nodded slightly, though frowned again. The cottage, though not exactly small, only had a single bedroom. She doubted that either Freed nor Laxus would be willing to sleep on a sofa indefinitely and knew from seeing the job offers S-Class mages that Laxus didn't need to rely on anyone financially, so it seemed like a weird decision for the two of them if it was true. Laxus, after running a hand through his damp hair, saw the look of confusion on the sky-mage's face; nobody had told her the nature of he and Freed's relationship it seemed.

"We're dating, kid," He explained, and Wendy's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. Oh!" She smiled at Laxus; now it certainly made sense why they lived together, as well as why he was coming here. It was to see his boyfriend. "Sorry, if I had known I wouldn't have asked. I didn't mean to pry on you."

"Don't worry about it," Laxus placated, he nodded to the door to the living room. "Guessing he's sleeping in there then, right?"

"Yes, he insisted," Wendy smiled a little, before stopping. "If you want, I can wake Erza up and you can have your bed back. I'm sure she won't mind sleeping on the sofa and I could probably fit on the chair without much trouble. You probably want a good night's sleep after you've been away for so long."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Had a pretty fancy hotel actually," He lied; he'd been sleeping in a tent for the past few weeks, but he could last a little while longer. "Shit, it's pretty late. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"You don't need to think about that," Wendy assured him. "I'm a light sleeper, so it happens all the time."

Laxus nodded and made to walk towards the living room where he would sleep for the night, but stopped himself. Wendy, who had walked to the bottom of the stairs during their conversation so that neither would have to speak loudly enough to wake anyone up, was starting to walk back to the bedroom to go back to bed. The blonde coughed slightly to get her attention, seeing her turn to look down at him with some confusion.

"You wanna drink of hot chocolate or something?" He offered, shrugging. "It'll help you get back to sleep."

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked, the offer unexpected.

After Laxus had nodded in confirmation, Wendy carefully climbed down the staircase again trying to make as a little noise as possible. The blonde waited for the younger mage to get to the bottom of the stairs before walking into the living room and flicking on one of the lamps; he had to walk through the room to get to their kitchen.

As he passed the sofa, he saw that Freed was sleeping soundly with a slightly tattered blanket covering him and an old pillow under his head. His chest was lifting gently and his features soft and calm. Laxus softly placed a hand on the man's cheek in a small act of intimacy as he passed.

Wendy wasn't sure if she was meant to see that, so she didn't say anything and just smiled.

The two dragon slayers soon were in the kitchen together, Laxus immediately pulling a pot from above the cooktop and filling it with enough milk for the two of them; he might as well have some himself to help get to sleep. As he rooted through the pantry to find the can of cocoa powder that would soon be needed, he could feel Wendy's eyes on him from the kitchen table she was sitting at. He didn't say anything, allowing the young woman to look as she pleased.

To see Laxus in this situation was weird for the sky-mage. She usually either saw him in combat or in the bar, so to watch him in a moment that could only be described as domestic, just after seeing him being tender with his boyfriend no less, was indescribable. But it was a good look on the man, even if it didn't fit with his image.

As the milk started to heat up, Laxus began to pour in the cocoa powder. Wendy was still looking at him, and Laxus assumed that this was because she wanted to know more about his and Freed's relationship. He couldn't blame her; it was a lot to process at three in the morning.

"You can ask," He spoke, stirring the milk. "About me and Freed, if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we ain't exactly in the closet or anything, and quite a few people know about it. We just couldn't be bothered with all the hassle of officially coming out and telling people we're together, so we didn't," Laxus looked over his shoulder as he spoke. "So anything you're curious about, just ask."

Wendy frowned, thinking of what she should ask. She of course had questions but didn't want to take liberties as to how invasive she could be; Laxus and Freed had always seemed to be private people and she didn't want to push her luck. As she thought, Laxus glanced at her with a soft smile as he continued to make the hot chocolate for them both. He yawned slightly as the sweet scent filled the room, absently wondering if the chocolatey aroma was having as much an effect on the young girl as it had on him, given their shared enhanced senses.

When he had come home, Laxus had been looking forward to climbing into bed with his boyfriend and getting a good night's sleep. But honestly, Wendy wasn't bad company – certainly the least annoying of the Dragon Slayers – and he had no place to complain when half of his guildmates had effectively lost their home. It was only right to be kind to them.

"So," Wendy spoke after a few moments, and Laxus hummed to let her know he was listening. "Have you and Freed been dating for a long time?"

"Coming up on a year pretty soon," Laxus answered, looking down on the pot of warming hot chocolate with a small but fond smile on his face. "We moved in together about two months ago though, so the house is pretty new. Well, for me it's new. It was Freed's place before I came."

Moving in with Freed had been a pretty pig deal for Laxus. While his previous studio apartment had been nothing to boast about, and objectively Freed's house was an undeniable improvement, Laxus had initially been somewhat concerned. A small voice was telling him that moving in with his boyfriend meant surrendering a small part of himself; a stupid idea that had come about because of the fact he'd never dated anyone for that long, and he now felt ridiculous for thinking like that. But the day he'd moved in with Freed, it was symbolic, and showed how he was allowing himself to become more vulnerable with other people.

He looked back on that day with fondness. Though cliché, it felt like the first day of the rest of his life.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you start dating?" Wendy asked, feeling encouraged by the expression Laxus wasn't hiding. It honestly made Wendy feel more comfortable around the blonde, seeing him like this.

"It was after I got exiled," Laxus explained. "I was trying to get better dealing with emotions, and for a while I'd been telling myself I didn't have feelings for him. So after I got my head straight and started to make up for all the shit I pulled when I was younger, me and Freed had a talk. We agreed that, when we were both in the right place for it, we'd see if we could handle going on a date with each other and see what happened next. Guess it's pretty obvious that it went well."

Wendy nodded, but didn't say anything. She hadnt been around when Laxus had been evicted from the guild, and had only really heard stories about it. Freed had given her the most detail actually, as she had asked who Laxus was when she and Freed first went on a mission together. It had shocked her to hear what had happened, both about Laxus' actions as well as the Raijinshuu's.

If the stories about what Laxus used to be like were true, then it was obvious that Laxus' attempt to 'get his head straight' had worked well. Though he wasn't exactly the king of humility, he wasn't as arrogant and self-obsessed as the stories would suggest and he certainly seemed more emotional than she would have expected. Perhaps this was a good example of why Fairy Tail's forgiving nature was so important, as people really could grow from what they had been and become better people if they're given the chance.

But still, as much as she wanted to know about how Laxus had changed over the years after his exile from the guild, there was something else playing on her mind. And it was something that she hadnt been given the chance to ask before.

"How… how do you know if you're," She cut herself off for a moment. "If you like people who are the same as you?"

Laxus paused in his stirring, becoming slightly more rigid. This was something he'd only been asked a few times, and he usually responded by saying 'when you think about fucking someone with a cock it becomes pretty clear' or something to that affect, because previously it had only been asked by idiots rather than someone who seemed like they wanted to know. Even though he didn't know Wendy personally, he knew the tone of voice all too well and knew what it meant.

He put the heating milk on a low simmer and sat on the opposite side of the table to Wendy, so he could give the young woman all of his attention. She seemed a little nervous at his actions, so he hoped that his words would calm her.

"There's no one way of knowing. For some people, it might take a while, and you'll notice things about people your gender that you like. But for other people, it can become instant. They'll be a person who just is everything you never you knew wanted, and it'll hit you like a train," Laxus smiled a little.

Somehow, both things had happened with he and Freed. As a teenager, after entering puberty he started to see things that he liked. When he saw a woman, he could identify that they were attractive, but he never quite got the appeal. But sometimes he'd look at a guy and there would be one part of them that was just so hypnotic in a way that he didn't understand; this ranged from a particularly amazing voice to seeing an undeniably handsome face. It took him a while to fully understand what this meant – he wasn't admiring them because he wanted to be like them, that was for sure – and the moment he did realise what it meant, he went into complete denial. The denial was his father's influence, he had no doubt about that.

But just as it had been gradual, his sexuality had also hit him like a train. It had been on Tenrou island, when he saw Freed for the first time in months. Just one look at the slightly ragged but still composed man and Laxus was unable to deny himself anymore. Freed, a man, was perfection personified and Laxus was in love with him.

It wasn't just his looks, of course. Laxus didn't think Freed looked perfect because of he looked good, but because he looked like Freed. He looked so much like Freed. It was if his mind had shifted, and perfect was a word that now only applied to Freed, and nobody else could compete. He didn't know how to explain it any better than that.

"Thank you," Wendy smiled a little, though still seemed lost in her own thought.

"You know kid, if someone had this conversation with me when I was your age, I know what I'd wanna hear," Laxus continued. "I would have wanted to hear that, if I ever do find myself liking guys, the worst thing to do is to deny it. Because, speaking from experience, it can really fuck you up."

"Thanks," Wendy said again, and this time it seemed more genuine.

Laxus patted her on the shoulder as he passed, stepping back to the oven top and hoping that he could have helped her. She clearly didn't want any pressing – if she was thinking about girls that way, it was new and private – but he hoped that she wouldn't make the same mistake that he had in the past. It had been one of his worst regrets; one of many, unfortunately.

The blonde quickly started to stir the newly made hot chocolate – which was very nearly at the point where they could drink it – and let the young girl think for a little while. Often in Fairy Tail, people forgot that others needed time to think about what they were going to do next, as the fights they found themselves in needed a lot of instinctual actions. But this wasn't a fight, and if Wendy wanted to sit in silence for the rest of the night, then Laxus could think of worse things to do than sit with her while she did it.

Carefully, the blonde brought the liquid from the heated cooktop and rested it on a chopping board he hoped wouldn't be singed. He then made his way around the kitchen, opening a cupboard and pulling out two large mugs. He placed them beside the pot of hot chocolate and slowly began to pour out the two drinks.

After placing the two mugs on the table, he didn't immediately sit down, making Wendy watch him with slight curiosity. Instead, he walked to the large fridge and picked out what was revealed to be a large can of whipped cream. Still not finished, he then walked back to the pantry that he had gotten the cocoa powder from and rummaged around it for a few moments, before returning with a plastic bag filled with something that Wendy couldn't see, and a small glass shaker that looked similar to those that you would keep salt in. When he placed them on the table, she saw that they were a bag of marshmallows and a small pot of chocolate curls.

Not exactly what she had expected to be in Freed and Laxus' house.

"Thought that, if we're gonna do this, might as well do it right," Laxus said in explanation. He picked up the whipped cream and slowly squirted it on his own drink in a slightly messy spiral. "Help yourself."

Wendy did so, also starting with the shipped cream. Her spiral was neater than Laxus'.

"I didn't know you and Freed liked sweets so much," She commented, picking up a single marshmallow and placing it on the whipped cream covered drink.

"We don't really, but Bickslow does and he comes here all the time, so we have to stock up on things for him to eat," Laxus shrugged, placing two marshmallows into his drinks and sprinkling the chocolate curls atop the whipped cream. "You can have more than one, if you want."

With a small smile, Wendy brought the bag of marshmallows closer and placed two more in her drink, watching as they slightly lost their shape with the heat and melded with the cold cream. She brought the drink to her lips and slowly sipped at it; the temperature was almost perfect and the taste amazing. She smiled, watching as Laxus also took a sip of his drink on the other side of the table; she tried not to laugh at the small amount of whipped cream on the top lip of the other mage before he removed it with the back of his hand.

The two stayed at the kitchen table for a little while longer, a gentle conversation happening relatively naturally between them both. Around halfway through, Laxus decided that he was hungry and brought out a box of flapjacks that Freed had made and offered Wendy one, which she took with a thankful smile.

After around twenty minutes, wherein Wendy had drunk two full mugs of the hot chocolate and eaten one of Freed's delicious flapjacks, the young girl was finding it difficult to fight off the yawns that were trying to leave her. Laxus seemingly noticed this, so placed the lid on the box of flapjacks and began to put the whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate curls back where he got them. Wendy smiled at the blonde; there was every chance she would have continued to stay awake out of politeness if Laxus hadnt made the first move in going to bed.

"Thanks, Laxus," She said in a soft voice as she stood up from the kitchen table. "It was nice talking to you."

"Don't mention it," Laxus brushed her thanks off, ever so slightly blushing. "Especially to the idiots you're on a team with. Don't wanna have to fuck 'em up for thinking that I was being soft or whatever."

She couldn't be sure, but Wendy liked to think that Laxus was joking.

"I'll try not to," Wendy laughed a little, before yawning again. "Goodnight, Laxus."

"Night kid."

Laxus watched as Wendy left the kitchen, carefully walking through the living room before closing the door and assumedly walking up the stairs to where Erza was sleeping. He had a small smile on his face as he placed the now empty pot in the kitchen sink, deciding that he would clean up tomorrow morning; even if technically it was the morning anyway. He switched the light off and walked into the living room.

He knew that he couldn't join his boyfriend on the sofa, so reached for the large bag that he had taken on his mission and pulled out the bedroll he kept in it; sleeping with this on the carpet would be an improvement to sleeping on the ground, as he had been for the last few weeks. He pushed their coffee table to the side for space as he heard a whispered voice.

"Well wasn't that cute," Freed said from his place on the sofa.

"Shit," Laxus whispered harshly at the sudden sound, before looking at his boyfriend and his shit eating grin. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since you struggled to open the door again," Freed commented, sitting up slightly and watching as Laxus readied his sleeping arrangements. "You can sleep here, if you want. You probably need the comfort more than me."

"Nah, its fine," Laxus assured him. "Although this is big enough for two, if you wanna join me."

With a slightly tired chuckle, Freed nodded and removed himself from the sofa he had been sleeping on. He helped Laxus setting up the bedroll, brought the blanket and pillow he had been using and lay on the shockingly comfortable surface. Laxus lay beside him, and although it was a little cramped and they were somewhat awkwardly sharing two single-person blankets, it was nice. Arguably better than the sofa, though Freed expected the blonde was responsible for that.

Laxus turned so he was facing Freed, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's body to pull him closer. He leant down and delivered a small, chaste kiss on the other man's lips as a form of greeting; he had missed kissing the man while he had been away.

"Who would have thought it, the great Laxus Dreyar acting in such a soft way," Freed taunted slightly, tiredness evident in his voice. "Making hot chocolate, facilitating a midnight snack, and giving brotherly advice. How precious."

"Fuck off," Laxus chuckled softly, not offended.

"Hypothetically, just because Wendy can't tell Natsu and his friends how utterly adorable you were being, that doesn't stop me now does it?"

"Go to sleep," Laxus said with a smile, pulling his boyfriend closer and closing his eyes to let sleep take over. As tiredness overtook him, he simply murmured. "Jackass."


	7. Walking Through The Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The walk to and from the guildhall had always been something that Freed had taken for granted. But now, dating Laxus and sharing that walk with him, he found himself enjoying the scenic pathways more than he could have expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my seventh and final admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user [Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/freed-justine)  
> This one is a fluffy as well, and acts a little bit like an anthology. It follows the 'Seasons' prompt.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

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**Day 7: Walking Through the Year**

**~~~**

**_Spring_ **

Having never really been in a long-term relationship, Freed hadn't realised all the changes that would occur. He of course knew that different parts of his life would be affected when he started to date Laxus seriously, but he had mainly expected this to occur in larger ways. He had been shocked when he found out the small ways in which Laxus and his relationship would cause adjustments to his life.

Case and point, the walk to the guild.

Previously, walking to and from the guildhall had been nothing but a short journey. A nuisance, essentially. It could be seen as a scenic walk but, given the postcard-like design of Magnolia, that could be said about anywhere and the appeal wore of quickly. It was just a chore to bypass, so much so that Freed had gotten into the habit of teleporting to conserve time.

But now that Laxus and he were dating, and living together, the walk to the guild became somewhat romantic. A small moment of time that was shared between them and them alone. With how their lives were so busy, small moments where they could be together without any form of interruption were rare. So to have something so consistent – even if it was just a ten-minute walk between their house and the guildhall – was something that Freed was beginning to love. More than he thought would be possible.

The springtime was particularly nice in Magnolia. The trees coming into bloom, the sunlight glinting over the canals and making the water sparkle, and the brightness of the white builds came together to make an overall beautiful setting. It was something that he was only now appreciating.

All because of the blonde man beside him.

In the light, Laxus looked positively beautiful. His skin seems to glitter and shine in the same way that the water did in the sun, his calmed expression as he walked softening his features significantly, and the soft breeze that gently ruffled his clothes showed off his impressive physique in a subtle way. The blonde seemed as though he belonged in such a setting; as if the world around him was constructed to make him look as perfect as possible.

Freed also hadn't expected being in a relationship to make him so sentimental.

In years past, when he had been walking to the guild in the springtime, he hadn't bothered to take note of his surroundings. The walk had been a means to and end and he would have been too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care about what everything looked like. But now, with the picture completed by his boyfriend, he was practically awestruck.

As they approached a more populated area of Magnolia, Freed made sure to break the small trance that he seemed to have placed upon himself. As much as he wanted to admire Laxus as the wind ruffled his hair and he wore a content expression, he needed to pay attention to his surroundings.

"I really like this," Laxus said, seemingly at random.

"You like what?" Freed asked wearing a small frown as he looked towards his boyfriend.

"Spending time with you," Laxus shrugged slightly, wearing a small blush across his cheeks. It was a blush that, previously, he may have tried to hide from Freed. The rune mage was glad he didn't.

"I would hope so," Freed chuckled. "Dating would be a little awkward otherwise."

"You know what I mean," Laxus chuckled, nudging Freed on the side as they walked. "I always thought that, if I was gonna get serious with someone, it's be stressful. Like, I'd have to be aware of things kinda like when we're in a fight. Only instead of thinking about where the next attack is from, I'd be thinking about emotions and crap. Like, it'd be overwhelming. But being with you, it's pretty easy to do. It's nice."

Freed smiled at the confession. If he were honest, he too had had apprehensions to starting their relationship. They had been good friends and partners beforehand and adding a romantic element – which was something both men were unfamiliar with – might have been too much. But, even though their relationship was at its start, Freed had felt these doubts dissipate almost instantly.

"I feel the same way," He promised.

As they approached the canal that would lead them to the guildhall, Freed could see Laxus' smiling face illuminated by the sun but also slightly covered by the shade of the blooming trees. A small but open show of affection that was somehow private between the two of them. Much like the walks they were sharing.

Deciding to take a step closer to his boyfriend, Freed smiled slightly. They were now doubtlessly side by side, their knuckles grazing each other as their arms swung gently. Neither man showed any acknowledgement to the small action other than a shared smile.

This changed when Laxus, in a quick motion, took Freed's hand in his own and intertwined their fingers. To say that Freed was shocked by the action was an understatement, as the two had never held hands at all, let alone in public. They had decided to keep their blossoming romance to themselves while they found their feet, meaning nobody in the guild knew they were dating. So to have Laxus display such an obvious show of affection that only two men dating would do, and to do so when they were close enough to the guild where anyone could see them, meant quite a lot for their relationship.

It was like a promise. A sign that this wasn't something that was going to stop anytime soon, but instead was something that Laxus was taking seriously. It made the rune mage feel somewhat warm inside, and he gave a small squeeze of Laxus' hand to show how he was happy with the action.

"So," Laxus spoke softly, almost a whisper to Freed. "Pretty nice walk."

"Yes," Freed nodded, hyperaware of their interconnected hands and unable to fight back the small smile. "I'm starting to think so too."

"You didn't like it before?"

"It was missing something," Freed replied, squeezing Laxus' hands for a second time. The blonde made a small sound of acknowledgment to let Freed know he had understood what he had meant and continued to walk.

As they approached the guildhall, they were silent but content. They were enjoying the gentle sun on their faces, the breeze keeping them cool enough, the beautiful surroundings, and of course each other's company. Their hands never left each other, even as they crossed the threshold through the large wooden doors that would lead them into an inevitable barrage of questions from their guildmates.

Neither cared. The springtime did bring out the best in people.

* * *

**_Summer_ **

Freed withheld a small chuckle as he watched Laxus sway slightly as he walked. It was late evening, the sun only just starting to set leaving a large orange tint across Magnolia. It was quiet beside the two men walking down the cobbled streets, who had just returned from a barbeque that had taken place at the guildhall as a celebration of some kind; they held so many parties that it was somewhat hard to remember what the lesser needed ones were for.

The two of them had had a good time. The food had been well cooked and delicious, the company had been well behaved enough for their antics to be charming rather than annoying, and the alcohol had been cold and limitless. Laxus was feeling the effects of the final point.

He was tipsy, to say the least.

As he walked, the blonde was uneven and occasionally stumbled across the uneven path. He scowled every time he did, taking a second to reassess where he was walking before starting again; he hadn't walked for over a minute without a trip of some kind since the two men left the guildhall. It was hard not to find it amusing.

"Are you sure you don't need any help, Laxus?" Freed asked as Laxus glared at the cobbles.

The blonde slowly looked up, closing his eyes for a second having seemingly moved his head too fast, and wore something resembling a pout. "No. It's fine."

He knew that Laxus would give in and ask for some kind of help eventually, but only when he wanted to, so Freed simply nodded and continued to walk. He made sure to keep an eye on the stumbling man, also dragging him to the side of the canal so he wouldn't fall in if he had a particularly nasty tumble that would bring him to the floor.

As he did this, the rune mage's mind wondered slightly, to his boyfriend in particular. To see him so openly in an inebriated – and possibly vulnerable state – state without seemingly caring about who saw him was endearing as hell. Compared to what the blonde was like in the past, Laxus' openness and seeming lack of ego, even in such a small way, showed just how far the blonde had come in his personal progression. It was hard not to smile as the blonde frowned, confused at his lack of stability.

Laxus seemingly noticed that Freed wasn't paying any attention to the situation, so slowly walked towards him; almost misjudging how far Freed was and walking into him. He wrapped an arm around Freed's shoulders and brought their heads close.

"You're fucking gorgeous," He slurred slightly in his words, but meant them. Freed laughed.

"I'm glad to hear it," The rune mage smiled. "And you're not bad looking yourself."

"Yeah I am," Laxus grinned wide. "But your all… like… elegant and shit. Like a fucking prince."

"Do I now?" Freed laughed a little again, "I think it's there we'll have to disagree.

Still grinning, Freed pushed Laxus' face away from his so he could look forward. As much as he liked his boyfriend, having his haphazard alcohol tainted breath hitting his senses every few seconds wasn't exactly enjoyable. Besides, the drunken blonde didn't seem to take it personally, as he was grinning.

"You don't believe me, huh?" Laxus' tone suggested he saw Freed's denial as a challenge. "So, if you ain't a prince of some kind, why's the sun setting?"

Freed couldn't fight back the frown that had formed at Laxus' words and looked towards the blonde with a question in his eyes. Laxus was looking into the sun as it set slowly, the golden light hitting both of their faces. The wide grin on Laxus' face was illuminated by the golden light, and the expression of gentle happiness made Freed feel warm. It was such a contrast with how he used to be, and Freed loved seeing it.

But his admiration of his boyfriend was cut short, as he remembered that somehow Laxus had created a connection between the sun setting and his appearance apparently being princely. The rune mage nudged Laxus to make sure he wasn't trapped in thoughts.

"It's bowing to you," Laxus explained, nodding to the sun. "Sun only sets because its got to bow to ya. Never used to do it before."

"Didn't it now?" Freed smiled, wondering just where Laxus' ramblings would go.

"No," Laxus shook his head, expression seemingly determined. "Older than you, remember? Spent three years and it was just always sunny. Night never happened then one day, on your birthday, the sun went down. Because you were born, and the sun needed to show its respect to the most princely prince of the world. Oh shit."

Seemingly remembering something, Laxus detracted his arm from around Freed's shoulders and took a step back. The rune mage watched with curiosity as Laxus made an overexaggerated movement that seemed to be a bow. The doubt laid in the fact that he couldn't seem to stand up straight on his own; Freed realised this after about thirty seconds when Laxus had remained at a right angle. He walked forward and started to help the other man up, smiling softly.

"Was that a smart thing to do when you're drunk," Freed chuckled, and Laxus refused to answer. The rune mage continued to speak after a few seconds of silence. "Are you trying to tell me that night didn't exist before I was born?"

"No," Laxus slightly elongated the word. "I'm trying to tell you that you're fucking amazing and that the sun is shit compared to you. Fucking sun."

Before Freed could reply – and he had intended to lecture Laxus about the importance of the 'fucking sun' – Laxus leant down and pressed their lips together. It wasn't the most elegant of kisses that they had shared, and Laxus' hands lingered in the middle of Freed's stomach more for balance than anything else. But still, even with the alcohol lingering on his breath, it was enjoyable.

After the kiss had lasted a little while, they pulled apart. Laxus was wearing a somewhat lovestruck expression that seemed a bit unfamiliar on his usually harsh features, but Freed smiled non the less and laughed.

"Come on," He whispered, looking at his boyfriend happily. "We should get home before the sun bows for me again and it gets dark."

"Yeah, I guess," Laxus nodded. They started to walk before Laxus spoke. "Also your hair's the same."

"What?"

"As the royal family. Your hairs the same colour," Laxus explained. "That's another reason why you look like a prince."

Freed just laughed, grabbed his boyfriend's hand and walked towards the retreating summer sun.

* * *

**_Autumn_ **

"You shouldn't be out when you're like this."

Freed attempted to glare at Laxus after he spoke, but couldn't find the energy. The two men were walking towards the guildhall, the cold autumnal weather forcing them to wear their coats, as well as Freed wearing his scarf. He needed the heat more than Laxus, as the occasional sniffing or sneeze that came form the rune mage told Laxus that, despite Freed's denial, his sickness hadn't gotten any better than it had been the day before.

The blonde had managed to keep Freed at home for a few days while he recovered form his sickness, though the rune mage had been resistant for as long as he had been assigned to bedrest. Laxus had intended to keep the rune mage there until the worst of his illness had subsided, but Freed had other plans.

Laxus hadn't been impressed when he woke up to see Freed showered and dressed for work.

Still, the blonde knew that Freed could be as stubborn as anyone else in the guild and for him to have planned out waking up early without letting Laxus know meant he was serious. He would just have to keep an eye on Freed and make sure he wasn't going to overwork himself.

"I promised Lucy that I would help her translate something last week, it should've been done by now," Freed insisted, arms wrapped around himself. "She's been trying it on her own for weeks."

"Then she can wait a little while longer, surely?" Laxus retorted.

The rune mage didn't reply at that, as it was an annoyingly good point, and instead focused on walking to the guild. He had never been particularly good at being sick; it happened to him so rarely that he often overlooked the signs of oncoming illness and was hit by a cold or flu without expecting it. That, mixed with his somewhat overactive work ethic, meant that he would often refuse to admit a sickness was hitting him as much as it was, and he would try to carry on his life as if he wasn't affecting him at all.

He also had a habit of being a little stir crazy whenever he was forced inti bedrest this way. When he was injured, he understood it – resting a broken bone or pulled muscle was just the logical thing to do– but he had yet to be presented with a reason as to why lying in a bed would speed up the recovery of an illness.

Freed also refused to listen when Laxus reminded him of his insistence that Laxus rest when he was last sick.

The autumn wind seemed to go through him as they walked, and he clutched the lapel of his coat to bring it closer in a useless attempt to get himself any warmer. From the corner of his eye he could see Laxus looking at him with a slight expression of concern and tried to ignore it. His pride had been a contributing factor to him going to the guild before he recovered – as well as being bored – and admitting the cold was getting to him was too much. Laxus must have known this, as he sighed and looked forward.

They continued to walk forward, Freed keeping his eyes down slightly as if he looked towards the sun the migraine that he was fighting off would be reignited. This continued for a little moment before Freed felt something dropped gently over his shoulders. It was Laxus' coat.

"Laxus," He spoke, voice slightly hoarse. "You don't need to-"

"If you're gonna be an idiot and force yourself to work, I'm not gonna let you get any worse," Laxus shrugged. "But you're only keeping it if you promise not to overwork yourself."

"I won't," Freed nodded. "Thank you, Laxus."

"Don't worry about it," Laxus mumbled, smiling as he wrapped an arm around Freed's waist in a small act of intimacy. "Is this the kinda stubborn shit I've got to get used to with you?"

"You're acting like this side of me is news to you," Freed chuckled, resting his head against Laxus' shoulder. It was shockingly comfortable given the fact they were walking, and a thought struck Freed. "Assuming that you'll be forcing me back home the moment that I finish translating as much as I can-"

"Glad we're on the same page."

"Well, when we get home it'll be likely that I'll be mentally drained after focusing on a language I don't know for so long," Freed continued, and the tone in which he spoke suggested to Laxus that he was plotting something. "As you know, I typically like to read before I sleep as it helps relax me. With how exhausted I'll be, I might not be able to read for myself, and therefore if you want me to sleep then you will have to help me read for a little while. Would that at all be possible?"

"So you want me to read for you huh?" Laxus asked with a small chuckle, Freed nodding. "How about this. You promise me you won't push yourself too hard until you're feeling better, and the second we get home I'll brew you some tea and read you whatever you want."

"That's… agreeable," Freed nodded.

"Thought so," Laxus chuckled.

The blonde continued to keep his arm around Freed's waist as they walked, lazily attempting to kick at the dead leaves that populated the ground. The rune mage smiled, looking forward to having such a moment of domesticity with his boyfriend. In the past, he had been sick on his own, but he supposed that having someone to look after him while he was recovering could perhaps help the process become less intolerable.

He leant up slowly and pressed his lips against Laxus' cheek for a split second, a silent sign of appreciation for putting up with his somewhat bratty behaviour. Laxus smiled a little wider and squeezed Freed's hip in reply.

It was a small moment, and somewhat romantic. If not for the fact that Freed flicked his head to the side and was hacking out a collection of phlegm that had built up in his throat. Laxus laughed at him slightly as he patted his boyfriend's back. Freed appreciated the action as he finished coughing, and two thoughts filled his mind.

He loved Laxus. He hated autumn.

* * *

**_Winter_ **

A flurry of runes shot up before Freed, a protective rune that seemingly melted the onslaught before they could hit Freed. The rune mage narrowed his eyes, looking through the purple lettering to spot his enemy before he could be hit by another surprise attack. His gaze was sharp and intense, the blood rushing through his veins keeping his adrenaline high and senses sharp.

"Fuck off," Laxus shouted. "Using your runes as a shield is cheating!"

"And why is that?" Freed asked, smirking as he leant down and scooped up a handful of snow. He patted it into a ball and waited for a reply.

"How am I meant to use lighting to stop you?" The blonde demanded, seemingly also creating a snowball in the moment of respite between them both.

"Learn a more practical type of magic," Freed suggested, smirking.

The snowball fight hadn't meant to be this intense. Laxus had initiated it on the walk home from their guild, Freed had been walking a little ahead and Laxus had claimed that he was going to tie his shoes. The rune mage had waited, absently watching the people cautiously walking over the frozen canals as a form of entertainment. Just as he felt himself relaxing in the cold of the Magnolian winter, the back of his head was hit by a compacted ball of snow.

When he turned around, he was met with a shit eating grin by his boyfriend.

His reaction was almost instantaneous. He shook the clumps of snow from his hair and was on his knees making a large snowball within a moment, seeing Laxus doing the same. He dodged the snowball aimed towards him and threw one towards Laxus, managing to hit him on his chest with enough force to shock the lightning mage for a moment.

That had been twenty minutes ago. Neither man had stopped since then.

Ducking behind a tree to stop another of Laxus' snowballs from hitting him, the rune mage grinned. Both men were showing the extents of their competitive nature were on full display, and both knew that the other wasn't going to give up until absolutely necessary.

"Why don't you come out and say that to my face, Justine," Laxus slightly taunted. "Unless you're scared to see me?"

He knew it was a manipulation. He knew this was Laxus trying to get him away from the tree so he could be vulnerable to whatever plot Laxus had created. But, despite being fully aware that this was Laxus' intention, Freed decided that there was no honour in hiding when he could confront his foe face on, and walked from behind his cover.

The snowball came instantly, almost hitting his face if his reflexes hadn't brought his hand up to protect himself. He smirked, dropping down again and forming two snowballs before Laxus could make one. He threw them towards the blonde with a grin; one hitting his chest while the other hit his shoulder. His grin faltered when he realised that Laxus had thrown one at the same time he had, hitting him on the chin.

Both men, now without ammunition, stood across from each other. They both panted slightly, looking at each other during the stalemate that had appeared before them both. Neither was willing to give up yet.

"Looking a little tired, Laxus," Freed taunted. "We can stop if you want, I know what snow does to old men like you."

"Oh you little bastard," Laxus said, talking a step forward. "You're going to regret saying that."

"And you're going to regret coming outside when your knees give up on you."

With that, it seemed as though Freed had signed his own fate. Laxus pounced forward, leaning down so he could pick up a large pile of snow from the ground before standing upright again. He went to launch himself towards Freed to make good use of the snow he had picked up but was met with a snowball to the nose when he was upright again.

Even when covered in snow, he could see that Laxus' jaw had clenched at the most recent hit. Freed smirked, crossing his arms in slight curiosity as Laxus slammed the snow he had picked up onto the ground and looked at Freed with steely determination. He clearly had a plan.

He showed what it was a moment later.

Pouncing forward with the speed of an animal, Laxus wrapped his arms around Freed's waist in a tackle and brought them both to the ground. Freed's back was pressed against snow covered grass, sending a shiver down his spine as he became used to the sudden change in temperature. Laxus had placed a hand on his chest, keeping the rune mage down as he picked up a handful of loose snow and held it over his face.

"You wanna apologise for the old man comments?" Laxus raised an eyebrow in question.

"How d'you know I haven't?" Freed countered despite his position. "It's not unheard of that your hearing can be unreliable when you enter your twilight years."

The handful of snow was forced into Freed's, haphazardly smothered across his features. He was overtaken by a flurry of laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Having Laxus smearing snow across his face after a playful yet competitive snowball fight wasn't exactly what he had thought would happen nearly a year into his relationship with the blonde. He couldn't deny that it was a good thing, as it was truly fun to have such a ridiculous interaction with his boyfriend.

But still, he couldn't be outdone. So he grabbed an equally large clump of fresh snow and slammed it into Laxus' face, pushing the blonde off him so they were lying side by side in the snow, both laughing.

"You got it in my eye, asshole," Laxus laughed, wiping his eyes and looking to his boyfriend.

"I swallowed some myself, if it's any consolation," Freed grinned.

"Did I?" Laxus smiled, cocking an eyebrow. "Sorry, didn't mean to."

"It's fine," Freed smiled back, reaching across and cupping Laxus' cheek. "You look good covered in snow."

"So do you," Laxus smiled. "Like a prince."

"You really do like that comparison, don't you," Freed chuckled, stroking a finger up and down Laxus' cheek. "Well, if I am to be a prince, perhaps you could be the handsome stable hand with whom I shall have my affair."

Laxus grinned. "Yeah, think I can do that."

Both men laughed at what had become something of an inside joke between them both. They remained lying in the snow for a little while, and Freed let his mind wonder to the walks they had shared to and from the guild throughout the year. They had each been small, understated moments of romance that he had grown to love that had taken over the four seasons.

It had been perfect.


End file.
